Action heats up at Golden Shears

Action heats up at Golden Shears

Close to 150 shearers and woolhandlers have competed on the opening morning of the 55th Golden Shears which started in Masterton today.

Taking part in novice and junior shearing and woolhandling heats, and three woolpressing events, they are among about 370 competing over the three days of the championships in the town’s War Memorial Stadium, where the Golden Shears has been held every year since its inception in 1961.

At an an event laced with expectation around the last Golden Shears appearance of 53-year-old legend and 16-times open shearing champion David Fagan, history beckons at the opposite end of the scale with an 11-year-old primed to become the youngest-ever winner at the Golden Shears.

Reuben Alabaster, son of Taihape contractor and shearer Ricky Alabaster, is top qualifier for this afternoon’s Novice shearing semi-finals. In 2010 the event was won by 13-year-old David Gordon.

It is among 22 events to be decided, culminating in Saturday night’s Open shearing final.

The Golden Shears opened to a classic early-March Wairarapa day with a maximum of temperature of 30deg expected in the town.

The championships are being shown live around the World by live streaming athttp://www.goldenshears.co.nz/golden-shears-tv-2014/

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