Rain causes rare shearing comp cancellation

MEDIA RELEASE
On behalf of Shearing Sports New Zealand

March 26, 2011

Rain causes rare shearing comp cancellation

Heavy rain in the King Country has forced a rare shearing competition cancellation with the Waitomo Caves Sports called-off by organisers early today.

More than 60 shows are on the Shearing Sports New Zealand calendar, but today's was the first to be cancelled in the last two years.

It would have been the first show of a weekend double-header also including the Taranaki Shears which will still go ahead tomorrow on a six-stand shearing board erected in Stratford's War Memorial Hall.

Among those competing is the Welsh team of Gareth Daniel and Wyn Jones, who were scheduled to be matched against regional selections in two contests over the weekend in preparation for a test match against World champion Kiwis Cam Ferguson and David Fagan at the New Zealand Championships in Te Kuiti next weekend.

The event in Stratford will provide a big opportunity for local hero, Toko farmer and 2008 World champion Paul Avery, determined to prove himself in front of his home crowd for his failure to reach the Golden Shears Open final in Masterton three weeks ago.

Avery, the 44-year-old two-times Golden Shears champion who last month was third in the two-day category of the Coast to Coast across the South Island just a week after winning the North Island Shearing Championships, was reported earlier this week as saying he's still "angry" about missing a place in shearing's most revered showdown. He reckoned he lost his "edge" and made a tactically-wrong choice of comb in the semi final where his Shears ended.

The Taranaki Shears is expected to attract about 30 of the country's top shearers, including title-holder and new prolific Napier shearer John Kirkpatrick, who on Marcgh 5 won his third Golden Shears Open and on Monday is expected to be a hot favourite with the TAB to also win next week's NZ Open.

ENDS

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