Breaking News

February 18, 2012 10pm

Young woolhandling sensation Joel Henare is on the brink of a chance to add a World title to an amazing list of victories by reaching a cut-throat final of New Zealand’s World Championships team selection series.

The 20-year-old from Gisborne emerged today from the semi-final of a year-long series as one of three for a final tomorrow (Saturday), in which only one will miss out.

He will be up against Whanganui’s Joanne Kumeroa, winner of two individual World titles and two in teams events, and Te Awamutu’s Keryn Herbert, who is out to not only defend the teams title she won in 2010 but also make up from her shock failure to reach that year’s individual final.

Among those to disappear from the race today was Herbert’s 2010 teammate, Sheree Alabaster, of Taihape, who in 2008 won the individual title and a team title with Kumeroa.

Henare sparked-up his credentials today by also successfully defending his Southern Shears Open title, beating Kumeroa and Tia Potae, of Milton, in the final.

He and Kumeroa each won three events in the series, while the Herbert’s best efforts were three second placings.

The Southern Shears senior woolhandling final was won by Cushla Abraham, of Masterton, with Invercargill’s Melanie Barrett the runner-up, and the Junior title by Cherie Peterson, also of Milton, with second place going to Anne-Marie Kahukura, of Omakau.

New Zealand’s two machine shearing representatives for the World Championships will also be found tomorrow (Saturday), the top 12 from seven points rounds contesting a semi-final on busy afternoon in which some are also likely to shear in the Southern Shears Open and South Island Shearer of the Year finals.

Veteran David Fagan is a $1.50 TAB favourite to be one of the pair in the black singlets.

The World shearing and woolhandling championships to be held during the Golden Shears from February 29 to March 3 have attracted entries from 25

countries, some of whom are also competing in Gore.

Results from the first day of the Southern Shears at Gore on Friday February 17:

Inter-Island Shearing and Woolhandling:

South Island (shearers Darin Forde, Nathan Stratford, Angus Moore; woolhandlers Tia Potae, Bernadette Forde, Candy Waihape-Hiri) 592.865pts, beat North Island (shearers David Fagan, John Kirkpatrick, Rowland Smith; woolhandlers Sheree Alabaster, Dallas Mihaere, Ronnie Goss)b798.434pts.

Woolhandling:

Open final: Joel Henare (Gisborne) 168.59pts, 1; Joanne Kumeroa (Whanganui) 232.07pts, 2; Tia Potae (Milton) 285.88pts, 3.

Senior final: Cushla Abraham (Masterton) 121.836pts, 1; Melanie Barrett (Invercargill) 122.94pts, 2; Maria Pahl (Tuatapere) 129.59pts, 3; Keisha Te Kuki (Dannevirke) 134.12pts, 4.

Junior final: Cherie Peterson (Milton) 155.188pts, 1; Anne-Marie Kahukura (Omakau) 175.3pts, 2; Ataneta Puna (Masterton) 196.38pts, 3; Raewyn Fowler (Gore) 197.53pts, 4.

World Championships selection series semi-final: Joanne Kumeroa (Whanganui) 161.026pts, 1; Joel Henare (Gisborne) 215.586pts, 2; Keryn Herbert (Te Awamutu) 222.676pts, 3; Ronnie Goss (Kimbolton) 243.994pts, 4; Bernadette Forde (Tuatapere) 250.15pts, 5; Sheree Alabaster (Taihape) 310.226pts, 6.

February 12 - Avery's Coast to Coast

Shearing Sports New Zealand congratulates 2008 World Shearing Champion Paul Avery on his performance in the 30th Speights Coast to Coast multisports event on February 11. Having been third overall and first veteran in the two-day event at his first attempt last year, Paul on Saturday tackled the Longest Day, and finished 19th in a time of 13hr 47min 5sec. The event was won for a fifth time by Richard Ussher (11hr 33min 24sec). Paul was third in the veterans classification. The winning veteran, Adam Cowie, was 15th overall in a time of 13hr 25min 53sec, and the second veteran, Graeme Ewenson, beat Paul by just 23 seconds, in a time of 13hr 46min 42sec. 

February 11 - Otago woolhandling

Gisborne’s Joel Henare has shown another sign of his determination to become New Zealand’s first male World woolhandling championship representative in 16 years by claiming a fifth consecutive national Woolhandler of the Year title in Balclutha.

Henare first won the title as a 16-year-old in 2008, and has been unbeatable in the big final at the Otago Shearing and Woolhandling Championships ever since, including three victories over mentor and former World champion and Joanne Kumeroa, of Whanganui.

Kumeroa had to settle for second-place in today’s final, but won the South Island Circuit final, and also leads the Shearing Sports New Zealand selection series which will end in Gore next weekend with the naming of two woolhandlers for the World event during the Golden Shears in Masterton on February 29-March 3.

It was Henare’s second win in a row in the series and moved him into second place, overtaking 2010 World teams champions Keryn Herbert, of Te Awamutu, and Sheree Alabaster, of Taihape.

The qualifying points will count for nothing at Gore however, the outcome being decided on time and workmanship in the series final.  

Results of woolhandling events at the Otago Shearing and Woolhandling Championships at Balclutha on Friday and Saturday, February 10-11, 2012:

Woolhandling:

New Zealand Woolhandler of the Year:

Open final: Joel Henare (Gisborne) 175.12pts, 1; Joanne Kumeroa (Whanganui) 212.79pts, 2; Rocky Hape-Taite (Dannevirke) 274.09pts, 3; Pagan Rimene (Alexandra) 365.81pts, 4.

Senior final: Melanie Hillis (Mataura) 132.25pts, 1; Melanie Barrett (Invercargill) 145.212pts, 2; Keisha Te Huki (Dannevirke) 145.288pts, 3; Juliette Lyon (Alexandra) 159.62pts, 4; Keri Henare (Gisborne) 160.912pts, 5; Denise Murray-Karaka (Alexandra) 164.374pts, 6.

Junior final: Foonie Waihape (Gisborne) 170.662pts, 1; Cheri Peterson (Milton) 197.038pts, 2; Anne-Marie Kahukura (Omakau) 232.288pts, 3; Ataneta Puna (Napier) 255.1pts, 4; Niki Gore (Golden Bay) 289.31pts, 5; Shanny Hiko (Hastings) 309.55pts, 6.

South Island Circuit:

Open final: Joanne Kumeroa (Whanganui) 123.792pts, 1; Keryn Herbert (Te Awamutu) 131.856pts, 2; Tina Rimene (Masterton) 140.03pts, 3; Bernadette Forde (Tuatapere) 147.25pts, 4; Tia Potae (Milton) 149.412pts, 5; Huia Whyte-Puna (Christchurch) 157.03pts, 6.  

Senior final: Keri Henare (Gisborne) 102.212pts, 1; Juliette Lyon (Alexandra) 107.736pts, 2; Melanie Hillis (Mataura) 110.9pts, 3; Cushla Abraham (Masterton) 114.424pts, 4; Ebony Turipa (Gore) 118.386pts, 5; Jenna Holland (Tuatapere) 124.762pts, 6.

Junior final: Anne-Marie Kahukura (Omakau) 110.724pts, 1; Foonie Waihape (Gisborne) 125.85pts, 2; Maiden Elers (Mataura) 126.194pts, 3.

February 11 - Otago Shearing

Shearing young buck Rowland Smith and legend David Fagan have become favourites to win New Zealand's two machine shearing places at the World Shearing and Woolhandling Championships in Masterton after finishing first and second in the Open final at the Otago championships in Balclutha today.

It was the last of seven points rounds in a Shearing Sports New Zealand selection series, the top 12 going into a semi-finals and final showdown in Gore next weekend to find the two for the World event during the Golden Shears on February 29-March 3.

Smith, a 25-year-old who won the New Zealand Open last season, has hit top form by winning the last three events in the selection series, while Fagan qualified at the top of the list, despite not winning any of the events. He was runner-up four times and third once in the last five rounds, after mediocre results in the first two rounds in Christchurch and Waipukurau in November.

Jerome McCrea, of Whanganui, was a surprise third in Balclutha, pre-series favourite and reigning Golden Shears champion John Kirkpatrrick was fourth, and fellow Napier shearer Dion King fifth.

February 7 - World Championships selection

Shearing Sports New Zealand congratulates Mike McConnell, of Albury, and Brian thomson, of West Melton, in being the first selections confirmed for hearing Sports New Zealand's team for the 15th Golden Shears World Championships, in Masterton on February 29-March 3, Their selection was confirmed at Reefton on Saturday after the final qualifying round. It will be McConnell's first World Championship, but Thomson shore in Wales in 2010 and was third in the individual blades final.

The machine shearing and woolhandling selection series' come to a crunch stage this week with the final points round at the Otago championships in Balclutha. The top 12 machine shearers will qualify for the selection series finals at the Southern Shears in Gore next week, while the woolhandling series will be fought-o ut by the top six, also at Gore.  

The current top 12 shearers in order are Nathan Stratford,  John Kirkpatrick, David Fagan, Dion King, Rowland Smith, Cam Ferguson, Matt Smith, Darin Forde, Adam Brausch, Jason Win, and  Tony Coster and James Fagan, the last pair being six points clear of nearest challenger Angus Moore. The first two in the series final in Gore will compete in the World Championships.

The closeness is best indicated by the fact that four different shearers have claimed maximum points at any of the four shows, Rowland Smith winning both Marton and Taihape, Dion King winning Winton and Lumsden, Johnny Kirkpatrick the victor at Waipukurau, and Nathan Stratford picking up the 12 at Christchurch, when runner-up to Australian shearer Shannon Warnest.

The woolhandling, from which six qualify for the Gore showdown based on their best eight performances in a series which started at last yuear's Golden Shears, is much closer. Two-times individual World champion Joanne Kumeroa and reigning teams champions Keryn Herbert and Sheree Alabaster are the leading three, closely challenged by Joel Henare, but just 4pts covers the next five competitors (without taking into account deleting worst individual results). The five are Huia Whyte-Puna, Ronnie Goss, Bernadette Forde, Paikea Ratapu, and Tia Potae.  Kumeroa has won four of the 10 shows, Alabaster 2, and Henare, Whyte-Puna, Goss and Potae one each. Again the top two in the series final will represent New Zealand at Masterton.

Saturday, February 4, 2012

Rowland Smith today won the N orth Island open shearing final in Marton, by more than 3pts, with David Fagan second and Adam Brausch third, another good result for Rowland after winning a double at Taihape and Rotorua last week. John Kirkpatrick was fourth, having won at Dannevirke on Friday, while Cam Ferguson was fifth and Gavin Mutch sixth. The senior final was won by Jimmy Samuels and the Intermediate by Dean Nelmes, from England. There was a shortage of sheep because of wet weather, and the junior and novice events and all woolhandling were cancelled. 

Congratulations to Hamish Mitchell who had been in the country just a week and travelled overnight to get to Reefton where he won his first Open title in New Zealand in the 18 years since his only other victory here, the Kaikoura Senior final in 1994. It was a Scots one-two with Tommy Wilson finishing second.

Congratulations also go to Paerata Abraham for winning the Aotea Rugby Club's Speedshear in Dannevirke on Friday, beating David Fagan in the final. It was probably Pae's biggest cheque at Open level. Earlier in the day, Johnny Kirkpatrick won the Dannevirke Shears Open final. Sarah Goss scored a unique double in the Intermediate shearing and junior woolhandling finals, Tysson Hema won the senior shearing final, and Anaru Wakefield his third Junior title in under a fortnight. Ronnie Goss made it an even better day-out for the family by winning the Open woolhandling final, and Cushla Abraham won the Senior final.

Shearing on Tv

A new series is about to start on the Prime channel in New Zealand. It's called Shearing Gang and runs each Tuesday for 10 weeks, starting to 9.35pm. The first episode is January 31. The series follows Peter Lyon and his gangs in Central Otago, the opening episode at Mt Nicholas.

Nine hour ewes record - Wednesday January 18.

Congratulations to Stacey Te Huia and Sam Welch on breaking the World two-stand ewes record for nine hours today, January 18, 2012, at Te Hape, King Country. Details below, and compare with previous nine-hour ewes records.

                                                5-7am      8-9.45        10.15-12       1-2.45          3.15-5     TOTAL

Stacey Te Huia                        143           133              131               133                134        674

Sam Welch                              149            128              129                132               129       667

TOTALS                                    292            261              260                 265              263       1341 (NEW RECORD)

                                                    292          553              813                1078            

Solo records

Rodney Sutton (2007)                 158             140                142              140               141        721

Darin Forde (1997)                      161             138                137              143               141        720

Dion Morrell (1995)                      159             141                 142             138              136         716

David Fagan (1994)                     157             139                 135             136              135        702

Two-stand record

Darin Forde  (1996)                     155            135                   132            135              131        688

Wayne Ingram (1996)                  151            124                   125             125             121        647

TOTALS                                        306           259                   257              260             252       1335 

                                                       306          565                     822     

January 10 - Women's Record

Congratulations to Kerri-Jo Te Huia on setting a new women's eight-hour lambshearing record at Te Hape, near Benneydale, today. Kerri-Jo shore 507 withtwo-hour runs of 124, 124, 133, 126. The previous record of 470 was established in January 2009 by Ingrid Baynes (116, 117, 117, 120). 

January 9 - World eight-hour lambshearing record

Ivan Scott, from Kilmacrennan, Co Donegal, Ireland, has set a new eight-hour lambs record of 744 at Opepe Trust Farm, near Taupo, eclipsing the previous record of of 742 set on January 10 last year. Run by run updates are posted below. Compare with previous tallies below.

Today's record

First Run (7am-9am): 187; Second Run (9.30-11.30am): 189; Total so far (four hours): 376.

Third Run (12.30-2.30pm) 186; Total so far (six hours): 562  Fourth Run (3-5pm): 182

TOTAL:  744 (new record).

Current record - Cam Ferguson at Moketenui, January 10, 2011:

183, 188, 187, 184: 742

Previous record - Ivan Scott at Rerewhakaaitu, December 19, 2008:

192, 185, 182, 177: 736

Previous record -  Justin Bell at Opepe, December 16, 2002:

187, 185, 179, 180: 731