Mission Accomplished As Axle Gets The Win At Oxford

Central Hawke's Bay-based Axle Reid, formerly of Taihape, won the last South Island shearing competition Open final of the season on Saturday, at the Oxford A&P Show. He was pictured in a previous competition in the North Island. Photo / SSNZ.

North Island shearer Axle Reid completed a successful mission of five A and P show competitions in the South Island with a win by almost three points from runner-up and North Canterbury local Blake Crooks as the Oxford A and P Show drew an end to the 2025-2026 shearing sports season in the South Island on Saturday.

It was his second win on the sojourn, having opened with victory at the Cheviot show on March 14.

Reid, pictured at a previous show, was then runner-up in both the Methven and Flaxbourne finals on the weekend of March 21-22, and fifth in the Mackenzie show lambs final on Easter Monday.

JP Bouyer, also from the North Island, broke through for a Senior win after seven minor placings in South Island finals during the season, including being runner-up at Banks Peninsula, Reefton and Methven.

Jah Smith, of Christchurch, won the Intermediate event, and Mike Toshach, of Oxford, claimed his third Junior win in recent weeks.

As expected at the late stage of the season, entries were light, with competitors and supporters at the World Championships on March 4-7 having headed home or, along with other New Zealand shearers and woolhandlers, headed for other shearing seasons around the globe, and others being at the New Zealand Shears in Te Kuiti.

There were just 19 shearers at Oxford (Open 9, Senior5, Intermediate 3, Junior 2), and competitors were guaranteed at least two shears with preliminary stages run as double-round heats.

Along with the New Zealand Shears in Te Kuiti, it ended the Shearing Sports New Zealand season, which comprised 56 shows, of which 29 were in the North Island, and 27 were in the South Island.

The 56 shows included 12 that were stand-alone shearing sports events, 39 were at A and P Shows, and five were at country sports days or community events.

All-but-one included machine shearing, 23 included woolhandling competition, nine included blades shearing (8 traditional competitions in the South Island plus the All-Nations during the Golden Shears and World Championships, and one included wool pressing..

RESULTS from the Oxford A and P Show Shears on Saturday, April 11, 2026:

Open final (12 sheep): Axle Reid (Taihape/Waipawa) 12m 22.4s, 45.87pts, 1; Blake Crooks (Rangiora) 12m 51s, 48.72pts, 2; Shaun Burgess (Rangiora) 12m 55.66s, 53.45pts, 3; Murray Johnston (Greta Valley) 13m 55.09s, 53.75pts, 4.

Senior final (8 sheep): JP Bouyer (Flaxmere) 10m 11.44s, 44.07pts, 1; Zion Smith (Christchurch) 1m 0.97s, 45.92pts, 2; Tom Philp (Waikari) 12m 17.06s, 59.85pts, 3; Sam Bryan (West Melton) 12m 22.91s, 66.4pts, 4.

Intermediate final (6 sheep): Jah Smith (Christchurch) 11m 25.22s, 49.76pts, 1; Michael Matthews (Oxford) 12m 55.06s, 63.09pts, 2; Greg Sampey (Waipara) 13m 10.94s, 65.71pts, 3.

Junior final (3 sheep): Mike Toshach (Oxford) 6m 10.65s, 29.2pts, 2; Logan McCartney (Ashburton) 6m 53.94s, 55.03s, 2.

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