Win No 622 a first for shears legend Fagan

Win No 622 a first for shears legend Fagan

With more than 600 wins and 32 years of top class competition behind him there was still room for something new as shearing legend David Fagan won the Royal Manawatu A and P Show Open final at Manfeild yesterday.

It was Open win No 622 for Fagan who first shore in the Open class in 1981. But, having won at more than 50 venues throughout the country it was his first victory at the Manawatu Show.

It was also the first time he had reached a final in New Zealand with son and first-year Open shearer Jack.

Father and son shore side by side as David Fagan scored his second win in a row, having won the Stratford Show final a fortnight earlier. Jack had to settle for 6th on a day soured by the theft of his wallet, phone and other items as juveniles broke into fellow-shearer Turi Edmonds’ car in the few minutes he was shearing in the preliminary round.

Shearing in the second of two finals heats, Scottish 2012 World Champion and Whangamomona farmer Gavin Mutch produced the quickest time of 13 minutes 47 seconds for 15 sheep, a minute and 48 seconds quicker than David Fagan had shorn a few minutes earlier.

When time and quality points were tallied Fagan won by about half-a-point from occasional Open finalist Aaron Haynes, of Feilding, while Mutch had to settle for third, with 2012 winner David Buick, of Pongaroa, fourth.

Mutch, expected to defend his World title in Wales next May, was closely followed throughout the day by a French Tv crew, which had also visited him on the farm as part of a segment for the programme “Des Trains pas Comme les Autres,” expected to air in France mid-year.

Masterton-based Riverton shearer Casey Bailey made the most of a gifted place in the Senior final to beat runner-up and former prolific Junior and Intermediate titles winner David Gordon, of Masterton, by more than five points.

Bailey, who had his first Senior win at the Hawke’s Bay Show’s Great Raihania Shears in October, only gained a place in yesterday’s final when promoted to replace original qualifier Edmonds, of Raetihi, who withdrew to deal with the consequences of the theft from his car. Bailey shore the fastest time and had the best pen points.

Dannevirke-based Matawai shearer Catherine Mullooly made short work of an otherwise all-male Intermediate final in winning for the fifth time in six finals this season. It was the first time she’d been first to finish, but she also had the best quality and won by more than four points from runner-up Darren Alexander, of Whangamomona.

Napier shearer Paraki Puna, the 17-year-old brother of now Australia-based Golden Shears Senior woolhandling champion Ataneta Puna, was just as dominant in winning his first Junior title. He won by more than four points from runner-up and Levin shearer Neil Bryant, who claimed his first title two weeks earlier at Stratford.

Gisborne woolhandler Joel Henare again signalled his prospects of successfully defending his Golden Shears and World Championships titles next year when he won the Manawatu Open final for the second year in a row with a comfortable victory over runner-up and home-show hope Ronnie Goss, of Kimbolton.

It was Henare’s fifth win in six finals this season, and his 42nd win since entering Open-class woolhandling ranks in 2006.

Carmen Smith, of Pongaroa, also successfully defended the Senior woolhandling title, while the Junior final provided a maiden win for Christine Ballinger, of Eketahuna.

Results from the Royal Manawatu A and P shearing and woolhandling championships at Manfeild, Feilding, on Sunday, December 8, 2013:

Shearing:

Open final (15 sheep): David Fagan (Te Kuiti) 15min 25sec, 61.45pts, 1; Aaron Haynes (Feilding) 16min 18sec, 62.0333pts, 2; Gavin Much (Whangamomona/Scotland) 13min 47sec, 62.4166pts, 3; David Buick (Pongaroa) 14min 33sec, 62.4499pts, 4; Murray Henderson (Te Kuiti) 14min 50sec, 64.3pts, 5; Jack Fagan (Te Kuiti) 17min 34sec, 74.4333pts, 6.

Senior final (8 sheep): Casey Bailey (Masterton/Riverton) 10min 13sec, 44.15pts, 1; David Gordon (Masterton) 11min 6sec, 49.55pts, 2; Kierane Devane (Taihape/Australia) 11min 53sec, 53.025pts, 3; Cameron Hicks (Marton) 10min 59sec, 54.7pts, 4; Willie Lambert (Napier) 10min 43sec, 57.901pts, 5; Brad Bell (Apiti) 10min 30sec, 61.375pts, 6.

Intermediate final (5 sheep): Catherine Mullooly (Dannevirke/Matawai) 8min 53sec, 38.05pts, 1; Darren Alexander (Whangamomona) 9min 22sec, 42.1pts, 2; Michael Herlihy (Whangamomona) 9min 13sec, 42.25pts, 3; Ramone Smith (Gisborne) 9min 41sec, 44.45pts, 4; Jaycob Brunton (Levin) 9min 45sec, 54.25pts, 5; Mike Ellis (-) 10min 6sec, 86.5pts, 6.

Junior final (3 sheep): Paraki Puna (Napier) 5min 17 sec, 41.517pts, 1; Neil Bryant (Levin) 6min 5sec, 46.25pts, 2; Tegwyn Bradley (Woodville) 6min 21sec, 46.717pts, 3; Hemi Lambert (Napier) 6min 10sec, 48.5pts, 4; Laura Bradley (Woodville) 7min 34sec, 52.367pts, 5; Cayzer Wedd (Napier) 5min 47sec, 58.017pts, 6.

Novice final (2 sheep): Tom Hall (-) 6min, 42.5pts, 1; Lee Simeon (-) 5min 22sec, 46.1pts, 2; Joseph Watts (-) 7min 34sec, 61.7pts, 3.

Woolhandling:

Open final: Joel Henare (Gisborne) 132.4pts, 1; Veronica (Ronnie) Goss (Kimbolton) 194pts, 2; Leisha Atkinson (Weber) 222pts, 3; Rose Puha (Kimbolton) 4.

Senior final: Carmen Smith (Pongaroa) 138pts, 1; Connor Puha (Kimbolton) 142pts, 2; Pania Piwari (Hastings) 189pts, 3; Ana Braddick (Eketahuna) 4.

Junior final: Christine Ballinger (Eketahuna) 143.2pts, 1; Erica Reti (Masterton) 155.8pts, 2; Robena Eketone (-) 183pts, 3; Ashleigh Aporo (Martinborough) 4.

ends

© Scoop Media