Women's invitational event down to the wire

Women's invitational event down to the wire

Just two-hundredths of a second split first and second spots in the womens shearing invitational which had the crowd calling support for the entire field at the Golden Shears competition tonight.

It is just the second time in a quarter of a century that a women's only shearing event has been held at the Golden Shears.

The shearers come from vast backgrounds; some professional, others now parttime and others again; just when they can fit it into their busy schedules. Although all six women have solid shearing and woolhandling backgrounds spanning back to their childhoods.

It was a fairly even final, with each shearer almost sheep for sheep out of the gates. At the final tally though, it was 2007 women's nine hour lamb shearing record holder Emily Welch who took out the title, but just by the very skin of her teeth. In second was Catherine Mullooly, while Te Atakura Crawford and Kristie Hogg took 3rd and 4th .

One of the hottest stars of New Zealand womens rugby, Sarah Goss, 21, who only hours earlier

had flown in from the Brazillian Capital of Rio de Janerio, where the NZ women's 7's team had just wrapped up a tour, had to settle for fifth place. Finishing the field was veteran shearer and former world lamb shearing record holder, Jills Angus-Burney.

Ends

© Scoop Media