Never Too Young - Jack Fagan Wins Taranaki Shears As The Oldest In The Final, At 33

There was a bit of a hint of experience triumphing over youthfulness as Te Kuiti shearer Jack Fagan made it three in a row in show competitions as he won the Taranaki Shears Open final on a big day at the Stratford A and P Show on Saturday.

He first reached an Open final at the Great Yorkshire Show in England in 2013, shearing against father Sir David Fagan, and on Saturday claimed his 30th win, reckoning, at the age of 33, it was the first time he’d been the oldest in an Open final.

It came at a show that attracted 99 shearers across five grades – the most machine shearers of any of the 15 competitions in the Shearing Sports New Zealand season to date.

Competition convenor Shane Rawlinson said it was a fantastic way to mark the opening of new facilities, with a record number of entries since the Shears, previously held in the town's War Memorial Hall, moved to the showgrounds to merge with the A and P competition in 2018.

His team prepared 620 sheep for the day, about 100 more than normal, but he said it was still "barely enough," and part of coping included cutting the numbers of sheep for the unusually high number of 28 Senior shearers to three each each in the heats.

In the richest Open grade form of his life, it was Fagan’s third win of the season, and came less than 20 hours after claiming speed shear win No 85 at the Matiere Cosmopolitan Club in remote southern King Country on Friday night.

Last of the four qualifying for the final on Saturday, edging-out three-times winner Gavin Mutch, the Scottish international and former Taranaki farmer now based in Hawke’s Bay, Fagan won by just over a point from Masterton shearer David Gordon, who had the best quality points.

New Wales World championships selection Llyr Jones was third, after being the top qualifier from both the 21 in the heats, and from the semi-finals. He was also awarded the Birdsall Buchanan Trophy for the best quality points in the heats in any grade.

Clay Harris, of Piopio, in just his third season in the grade, was fourth overall, but was first to finish, shearing the 15 sheep in 12m 37.31s, pipping Fagan by 5.5 seconds.

Fagan won the 2012 Senior final, and was runner-up in the Open final in 2022, when Harris was the senior champion.

Poverty Bay shearer Dylan Young crossed the island to win the Senior final by almost three points from runner-up Blake Mitchell, of Patea, and Tye Mitchell, of Oamaru, won the Intermediate final, following a Junior final win at Stratford in his first trip north a year ago.

Ashlin Swann also crossed the island, from Wairoa, to win the Junior final, and the Novice grade was won by Rikihana Salmond, of Te Kuiti, son of top woolhandler Keryn Herbert.

As well as the 21 in the Open and 28 in the Senior grade, the entries comprised 21 Intermediate shearers, 23 Juniors and six in the Novice grade.

A feature was the large international entry, with 20 shearers from overseas, from the UK, the US and Australia, with five from the UK reaching finals, all in New Zealand for the busy mainnshear in the woolsheds.

The last competitions before Christmas are at the Whangarei and Rotorua A and P shows next Saturday, and the season resumes at the Peninsula Duvauchelle Shears on January 10.

Meanwhile, Fagan’s win in Friday’s speed shear at Matiere was his fourth in the shortform in a fortnight, after wins at Rakaia and Waiau in Canterbury and last week’s Wagga Wagga win in Australia.

He won the final comfortably with a time of 15.48s, with Forde Alexander, of Taumarunui, second in 17.38s, and Lionel Taumata, of Gore, third in 19.16s. It was the first round of the JR King Country Circuit.

Taelor Tarrant, of Taumarunui, won the senior final in 19.62s, with Callum Bosley, from England, second in 22.86s.

RESULTS from the Taranaki Shears at the Stratford A and P Show on Saturday, November 29, 2025:

Open final (15 sheep): Jack Fagan (Te Kuiti) 12m 42.81s, 45.341pts, 1; David Gordon (Masterton) 13m 13.06s, 46.386pts, 2; Llyr Jones (Llanwrst, Wales) 13m 4.75s, 47.638pts, 3; Clay Harris (Piopio) 12m 37.31s, 48.199pts, 4.

Senior final (8 sheep): Dylan Young (Gisborne) 9m 28.22s, 36.286pts, 1; Blake Mitchell (Patea) 9m 40.27a, 39.139pts, 2; Callum Bosley (Camelford UK/Otorohanga) 10m 10.38s, 40.519pts, 3; Daniel Rogers (Raetihi) 10m 15.73s, 43.412pts, 4.

Intermediate final (6 sheep): Tye Meikle (Oamaru) 8m 5.7s, 30.618pts, 1; Adam Killeen (Claremorris, Ireland) 7m 43.19s, 36.326pts, 2; Riley Norman (Eketahuna) 9m 10.13s, 37.507pts, 3; Tamati Dennison (Kurow) 9m 55.41s, 42.271pts, 4.

Junior final (4 sheep): Ashlin Swann (Wairoa) 7m 47.02s, 30.101pts, 1; Alex Wrenn (Dannevirke) 7m 32.39s, 31.87pts, 2; Sean Dunne (Ireland) 6m 35.91s, 32.298pts, 3; Cian Dafis (Llanwrst, Wales) 8m 12.97s, 45.149pts, 4.

Novice (1 sheep): Rikihana Salmond (Te Kuiti) 4m 15.64s, 29.782pts, 1; Lockie Maketoni (Stratford) 2m 28.7s, 37.435pts, 2; Bailey Lehmann (Waitara) 2m 17.89s, 38.895pts, 3; Jenna Lister (Feilding) 4m 42s, 41.1pts, 4.

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