Coster coasts to early win in big shears series warm-up

MEDIA RELEASE

On behalf of Shearing Sports New Zealand

October 23, 2011

Coster coasts to early win in big shears series warm-up

National multi-breeds shearing champion Tony Coster got in some early winning form in what he hopes will be the biggest season of his career by claiming the Northern A and P Show Open title in Rangiora on Saturday.

The winner of the PGG Wrightson National series final at the Golden Shears three years in a row and recently returned from representing New Zealand in a transtasman series defeat in Perth, Coster hadn’t won the Rangiora event since 2005.

Now he’s also hoping he can turn the tide in the New Zealand Corriedale Championship, an event dominated by North Island guns John Kirkpatrick and David Fagan since Rakaia shearer Coster last won the Canterbury Show’s feature four years ago.

The event on November 11 is the third round of the national series, but has taken a huge step-up in importance this year as the opening round of a series to find New Zealand’s two machine shearing representatives for the 15th World Championships to be held at the Golden Shears in Masterton in March.

After a training run today, Coster confirmed he’ll be among at least 18 shearers starting the selection series, in which placings points will be amassed in seven rounds before the top 12 are found for the finals at the Southern Shears in Gore in February.

The run through the humid Mid-Canterbury northern gateway countryside is part of the “bit extra” Coster believes he has to do have a chance in the selection series, at the age of 44 and in at least his 22nd season of open-class shearing.

He will also get in a bit more time on the exercise bike and rower which have helped hone him for tougher contests later in the season in recent years.

“I thought I should have given ip a year or two ago,” he said. “But here I am, still going. Hopefully a bit of training will pay off.”

He needs good points in Christchurch before flying north for the second round in Waipukurau the next day, and said: “Christchurch will be a big one for me, and I will have to do well there.”

In between times he will compete at the Ashburton Show next Saturday, and in the main-street set-up of the Pleasant Point Gymkhana the following weekend, saying competing as often as possible, regardless of the level of competition, is just as vital a part of the preparation.

He has also managed to take a positive from being part of one of New Zealand’s biggest international shearing defeats in Perth a fortnight ago.

While it was no surprise with almost no shearing preparation in Australia before the Royal Show match, Coster said: “There’s nothing like a good arse-kicking to get the motivation going.”

On Saturday Coster shore his 15 crossbred hoggets in an event-fastest 16min 43sec, 38 seconds ahead of the second-man-off, Canterbury-based Scotsman and former World champion Tom Wilson, who was unable to keep the quality up enough to pose any serious challenge in the final count.

Ultimately the runner-up was Canterbury-based Hawke’s Bay shearer Harvey Pairama, albeit well beaten by 6.1pts.

Mike McConnell, of Cave, and Brian Thompson, of West Melton, reasserted their dominance of the World Championships blades shearing selection series by finishing first and second in their final.

They were well-beaten to the end of the contest by 2008 representative and Timaru shearer Bill Michelle, clipping the fleeces of five sheep in 12min 57sec, three minutes ahead of McConnell.

With McConnell easily the cleanest shearer, judging saw Michelle relegated to third, unable to match the quality which had seen him win the season’s previous two blades finals at Alexandra and Waimate.

Results from the Northern A and P Show Shears at Rangiora on Saturday, October 22:

Open final (15 sheep): Tony Coster (Rakaia) 16min 43sec, 64.617pts, 1; Harvey Pairama (Kurow) 18min 57sec, 70.717pts, 2; Tom Wilson (Darfield and Scotland) 17min 21sec, 72.583pts, 3; Shaun Burgess (Ashburton) 21min 7sec, 74.417pts, 4.

Senior final (8 sheep): Brook Todd (Dipton) 12min 4sec, 47.475pts, 1; Shaun Mathieson (Riverton) 11min 55sec, 49.5pts, 2; Shane Hackett (Christchurch) 13min 6sec, 58.175pts, 3; Chris Russell (Woodend) 13min 8sec, 68.025pts, 4.

Intermediate final (4 sheep): Phoenix Hawkins (Pleasant Point) 8min 43sec, 44.65pts, 1; Brett Langrell (Temuka) 9min 32sec, 46.1pts, 2; Adam Toshach (Ashburton) 9min 48sec, 50.65pts, 3; Cory Smith (Rakaia) 9min 42sec, 59.85pts, 4.

Junior final (3 sheep): Patrick McCarthy (Geraldine) 9min 12sec, 43.933pts, 1; Ethan Pankhurst (Masterton) 8min 45sec, 48.25pts, 2; Paul Hodges (Geraldine) 10min 40sec, 48.667pts, 3; Cory Green (-) 9min 38sec, 49.9pts, 4.

Open Blades final (5 sheep): Mike McConnell (Cave) 15min 59sec, 65.95pts, 1; Brian Thompson (West Melton) 16min 38sec, 75.5pts, 2; Bill Michelle (Timaru) 12min 57sec, 76.05pts, 3; Tim Hogg (Timaru) 17min 49sec, 82.45pts, 4.

ENDS

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