Mutch Bounces Back For Bigh Shears Win In Raetihi

Scotland international and southern Hawke’s Bay farmer Gavin Mutch bounced back from his so near-so far week at the Wold Championships in Masterton to win A-grade show title the Waimarino Open championship at Raetihi on Saturday.

The winner of the World title in Masterton in 2012 and the Golden Shears Open title there three years, Mutch was third and runner-up respectively in the events going for the double on March 7.

Now 46, Mutch’s win on Saturday was his fourth of the season, second at Raetihi, and 34th in 24 seasons of Open–class shearing in New Zealand, but he has won more than 100 Open titles in a global career that has seen victories in at least 12 countries.

It was his 13th final this season, which has included five second placings and three third placings.

Regularly the pacemaker, Mutch was just third to finish the 20 sheep in a four-man final, in which Te Kuiti shearer Jack Fagan, finishing in 15m 48.92s, was the only one to go under 16 minutes.

Welsh shearer Gethin Lewis was next-off, in16m 1.98s, and Mutch clocked 16m 6.3s, had the better quality and beat Fagan by almost 1.3pts.

Taumarunui shearer Taelor Tarrant won both the Senior final and the second Te Whiringa Senior Circuit final, each over 12 sheep each, taking him to 10 wins this season, and 13 in the grade, including this year’s Golden Shears Senior title.

Northland shearer Toa Henderson stayed close to home in Northland to win the Open title at the Warkworth A and P Show, on his his sixth consecutive winning weekend.

He said he might travel south again next weekend to the Waitomo Caves Sports ahead of his bid to complete a back-to-back Golden Shears-New Zealand Shears double in Te Kuiti after Easter.

In the South Island, father-and-son Justin and Tye Meikle, of Oamaru, won the Open and Intermediate final respectively at the Methven Lamb Shears in Canterbury on Saturday, and New Zealand representative Angus Moore won the Open final at the 100th Flaxbourne A and P Show title in Ward, where he is the president.

More than 150 shearers competed throughout the weekend, 91 of them at Raetihi, where 31 lined up in the Open class.

Remaining shows on the 2025-2026 Shearing Sports New Zealand calendar are:

March 28 (Saturday), Waitomo Caves Sports, 10am start.

April 6 (Easter Monday) Mackenzie A and P Show (New Zealand Lamb shearing Championships), at Fairlie, 8am start.

April 9-11 (Thurs-Sat) New Zealand Shears, at Te Kuiti.

April 11 (Saturday) Oxford A and P Show, 9am start.

Waimarino:

RESULTS from the Waimarino Shears at Raetihi, on Saturday, March 21, 2026:

Open final (20 sheep): Gavin Mutch (Scotland/Dannevirke) 16m 06.03s, 57.452pts, 1; Jack Fagan (Te Kuiti) 15m 48.92s, 58.746pts, 2; Gethin Lewis (Wales) 16m 1.98s, 58.999pts, 3; David Gordon (Masterton) 17m 3.09s, 59.005pts, 4.

Senior final (12 sheep): Taelor Tarrant (Taumarunui) 12m 1.75s, 46.672pts, 1; Kaivah Cooper (Napier) 12m 46.2s, 48.143pts, 2; Duncan Adams (Scotland) 13m 57.55s, 48.794pts, 3; Dylan Young (Gisborne) 14m 33.02s, 52.317pts, 4.

Te Whiringa Senior Circuit final (12 sheep): Taelor Tarrant (Taumarunui) 12m 26.61s, 46.081pts, 1; Kaivah Cooper (Napier) 13m 20.31s, 48.933pts, 2; Duncan Adams (Scotland) 15m 2.03s, 51.769pts, 3; Dylan Young (Gisborne) 14m 40.78s, 51.873pts, 4.

Intermediate final (6 sheep): Michael Buick (Ponngaroa) 8m 18.44s, 29.922pts, 1; Lachie Cameron (Pohangina Valley) 8m 30.27a, 31.181pts, 2; Luke Marsden (Taumarunui) 8m 40s, 32.833pts, 3; Peter Hogarth (Scotland) 8m 33.31s, 35.499pts, 4.

Junior final (4 sheep): Kingston Pue (Raetihi) 7m 33.74s, 27.424pts, 1; Cam Henson (Woodville) 7m 59.64s, 29.232pts, 2; Ashlin Swann (Wairoa) 8m 6s, 29.3pts, 3; Rebecca Dickson (Feilding) 9m 8.88s, 37.944pts, 4.

Novice final (2 sheep): Ngahuia Salmond (Te Kuiti) 6m 4.66s, 28.733pts, 1; Will Stuart (Feilding) 7m 46.55s, 31.328pts, 2; Alexis Young (Gisborne) 7m 3.16s, 34.158pts, ; Cleveland Pue (Raetihi) 8m 1.14s, 38.057pts, 4.

Warkworth:

RESULTS from the Warkworth A and P Show shearing on Saturday, March 21, 2026:

Open final (20 sheep): Toa Henderson (Kaiwaka) 17m 10s, 56.4pts, 1; Phil Wedd (Silverdale) 69.5pts, 2; Gabriel Winders (Rotorua) 72.46pts, 3.

Senior final: Michael Boyd (Dargaville) 36.34pts, 1; Lee Cheyne (Te Kauwhata) 40.27pts, 2; Liam Smedley 40.67pts, 3.

Veterans: Lee Cheyne 1; Ralph Smith 2; Steve Coop (Wellsford) 3.

Methven:

RESULTS om the Methven Lamb Shears on Saturday, March 21, 2026:

Open final (20 lambs): Justin Meikle (Oamaru) 18m 23.64s, 64.43pts, 1; Axel Reid (Taihape/Waipawa) 18m 27.94s, 65.65pts, 2; Taare Edwards 19m 19.18s, 68.01pts, 3.

Senior final (12 lambs): Zion Smith (Christchurch) 13m 51.45s, 48.49pts, 1; J.P. Bouyer (Flaxmere) 14m 26.81s, 50.34pts, 2; Chris Malcolm (Winton) 14m 6.46s, 52.41pts, 3.

Intermediate final (4 lambs): Tye Meikle (Oamaru): 4m 46.53s, 23.33pts, 1; Caleb Makuch (Temuka) 5m 43.428s, 27.17pts, 2; Jah Smith 6m 51.886s, 27.84pts, 3.

Junior final (3 lambs): Trent Alabaster (Taihape) 5m 52.75s, 27.64pts, 1; Tyran Smith (Christchurch) 6m 48.061s, 29.07pts, 2; Jacob Booth (-) 6m 26.201s, 30.64pts, 3.

Flaxbourne:

RESULTS from the Flaxbourne A and P Show at Ward on Sunday, March 22, 2026:

Open final (15 sheep): Angus Moore (Ward) 14m 50.7s, 52.8pts, 1; Axle Reid (Taihape/Waipawa) 14m 43.28s, 55.5pts, 2; Duncan Higgins (Blenheim) 16m 41.03s, 64.38pts, 3; Richard Sampey (Blenheim) 19m 36.93s, 75.71pts, 4.

Senior final (8 sheep): Andrew Booth (Waimate) 12m 41.12s, 49.06pts, 1; Seymour Lambert (Ward) 12m 8.94s, 51.07pts, 2; Scott McKay (Clarence) 12m 32.13s, 53.61pts, 3; Jock Fitzpatrick (Seddon) 13m 10.13s, 56.26pts, 4.

Intermediate final (3 sheep): Billy Collins (Ward) 5m 12.03s, 60.27pts, 1.

Junior final (4 sheep): Jacob Booth (Waimate) 10m 11.41s, 42.82pts, 1; Deakan Mullins-Hennry (Dannevirke) 9m 6.75s, 49.34pts, 2; Kadie Simpson (Tapawera) 13m 21.34s, 54.32pts, 3; Charlotte Boyce (Blenheim) 11m 57.56s, 63.13pts, .4

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