Fagan through to Otago final – 32 years after his first

Fagan through to Otago final – 32 years after his first

Shearing legend David Fagan has returned to where the big stuff all began by qualifying for today’s final of the Otago Shears open shearing championship.

Fagan’s win in the event in 1983 was the first big win of the 630-plus that have made him the greatest competition shearer the World has ever seen.

Now 53, and having recently announced he will retire from competition at the end of the season, he’s won the Otago final 17 times, the most recent in 2004.

Despite the 11-year gap, he’s strongly favoured to be in the first two today, with the major challenge coming from Invercragill shearer and recently acclaimed fellow Master Shearer Nathan Stratford, of Invercargill.

After a 10-man semi-finals shootout late this morning on the second day of the two-day shearing and woolhandling championships near Balclutha, Stratford headed the five qualifiers for the final.

He is followed in order by Fagan, 2012 World champion and Taranaki farmer Gavin Mutch, local hope and Kaitangata-based Angus Moore, origibally from Marlborough, and Invercargill shearer Troy Pyper.

Last year's winner and runner-up, Hawke's Bay shearers and 2014 World Championships representatives Rowland Smith and John Kirkpatrick, are not competing, Smith taking a break from competition and Kirkpatrick recovering from a shoulder injury and surgery.

ENDS

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