King does it again as shearing guns fire-up Gisborne Show
Hastings shearer Dion King retained the Poverty Bay Show open shearing title with an outstanding performance in Gisborne
on Saturday.
King shore the 15 final sheep in 12min 50sec, to win the race by almost half a sheep from Waipawa gun Cam Ferguson in a
battle for time honours between two shearers who were accorded Master Shearer status by Shearing Sports New Zealand in
the off-season.
Ultimately, Ferguson had to settle for third as reigning Golden Shears Open and New Zealand Open champion John
Kirkpatrick, of Napier, with the better quality points, claimed second place in the first of several likely all-Hawke’s
Bay in the summer’s Open-class contests trifectas.
Fourth was Pongaroa farmer David Buick, with early indications of a serious challenge throughout the season after going
close to making his first Golden Shears Open final last summer.
Young Te Kuiti gun Jack Fagan got his first win of his expected last season in the Senior class, carrying-on from top
form in Britain in July and August. The win came after father and veteran champion David Fagan ended his day in the Open
semi-finals.
Jack Fagan finished more than half-a-minute before his nearest rival on the board, Ruatoria shearer Nukutai Tuhura, and
was in a class of his own with quality, claiming victory by 7.3pts from eventual runner-up Henare Niania, of Gisborne.
The intermediate final was won by rookie contractor Adam Morton, of Wairoa, and Quinton Sanson, of Feilding, had a
first-up Junior win.
World champion woolhandler Joel Henare wowed his home crowd by dominating the Open woolhandling final, with a
comfortable win over runner-up Monica Potae, from Milton, in South Otago, with 2008 World champion Sheree Alabaster, of
Taihape, third, beating fourth finalist, Vicky Smith, of Gisborne.
Rahna Watson Paul, based in Gisborne wth Elders Primary Wool but from Hastings, won the Senior woolhandling final from
runner-up Kyle Wihongi, also of Hastings, while the Junior woolhandling final provided a maiden win for Keone
Ngarangione, of Gisborne.
The competitions, the first of the new season in the North Island, attracted 54 shearers and 22 woolhandlers. Heavy rain
in the early-afternoon had the pavilion packed as hundreds sought cover at the A and P Show.
Results of the Poverty Bay Show Shears at Gisborne on Saturday, October 13, 2012:
Shearing:
Open final (15 sheep): Dion King (Hastings) 12min 50sec, 53.76pts, 1; John Kirkpatrick (Napier) 13min 43sec, 55.14pts,
2; Cam Ferguson (Waipawa) 13min 12sec, 56.53pts, 3; David Buick (Pongaroa) 13min 51sec, 61.54pts, 4.
Senior final (8 sheep): Jack Fagan (Te Kuiti) 9min 49sec, 47.95pts, 1; Henare Niania (Gisborne) 11min 20sec, 55.25pts,
2; Tui Pene (Waipawa) 10min 40sec, 57.375pts, 3; Nukutai Tuhura (Ruatoria) 10min 11sec, 59.3pts, 4.
Intermediate final (4 sheep): Adam Morton (Wairoa) 6min 23sec, 38.4pts, 1; David Gordon (Masterton) 6min 7sec, 38.85pts,
2; Alex Smith (Wairoa) 6min 34sec, 42.45pts, 3; Terence Durdy (Gisborne) 6min 16sec, 46.3pts, 4.
Senior final (3 sheep): Quinton Sanson (Feilding) 8min 14sec, 41.03pts, 1; Ramone Smith (Gisborne) 8min 55sec, 52.41pts,
2; Duran Smith (Gisborne)8min 7sec, 53.68pts, 3; Holly Granich (Matawai) 12min 51sec, 59.55pts, 4.
Woolhandling:
Open final: Joel Henare (Gisborne) 107.4pts, 1; Monica Potae (Milton/Tokomaru Bay) 155.8pts, 2; Sheree Alabaster
(Taihape) 160.6pts, 3; Vicky Smith (Gisborne) 209.6pts, 4.
Senior final: Rahna Watson-Paul (Hastings) 126pts, 1; Kyle Wihongi (Hastings) 133.4pts. 2; Maiden Elers (Mataura)
141.8pts, 3; Carmen Smith (Pongaraoa) 144pts, 4.
Junior final: Keone Ngarangione (Gisborne) 100pts, 1; Te Rangi Edmonds (-) 100..3pts, 2; Blaze Pineaha (Hastings)
113pts, 3; Viv Taitapanui (Opotiki) 142pts, 4.
ENDS