Aussies pull wool over Kiwi stars in woolhandling test match

Aussies pull wool over Kiwi stars in woolhandling test match

Two Australian woolhandlers have caused a shearing sports boilover by beating a strong New Zealand pair in the Elders Primary Wool Transtasman test at the Golden Shears in Masterton tonight.

Experienced competitor and industry trainer Sarah Moran, 40, of Ararat, Vic, and 22-year-old international rookie Tara Smith, 22, of Naracoorte, South Australia, both admitted “shock” after being named winners the vastly experienced Shearing Sports New Zealand team of Keryn Herbert, 35, from Te Awamutu, 35, and Ronnie Goss, 48, of Mangamahu Valley, formerly of Kimbolton.

New Zealand went into the test with wins in 25 of the 33 tests since transtasman woolhandling internationals started in 1998. New Zealand won both of last year’s tests, in Masterton and Errowanbang, NSW, and Australia had only won twice previously in New Zealand, in Masterton in 1999 and Christchurch in 2011.

Moran was most pleased by the performance of her teammate, who won a place in the team by finishing second to Moran in the Australian Championships at Errowanbang in November.

Moran recalled how she brought a sponsored team of seven younger competitors to the New Zealand finewool championships in Alexandra in 2012, and saw Smith have a “major meltdown.”

“She just couldn’t cope,” said Moran. “If there was any one of them I thought wouldn’t make it back it was, but she has. I’m very proud of her.”

Moran, who has won two Australian championships and represented her country at last year’s World Championships in Ireland said that the win had fulfilled her expectations, although she would have liked to have reach a Golden Shears Open quarterfinal.

But it’s up to Smith and other younger competitors to targhet the next World championships, being held in Christchurch in 2017, she said.

Smith may have momentarily thought about another meltdown as she raised the victors’ trophy in the air in front of 800 spectators, and watched in horror as its lid flew off the stage.

The pair said they were confident about their job during the test in which each team handled four merino fleeces and four standard breed sytrongwool New Zealand fleeces.

Moran was, however, worried about the quality points being determined “out the back” by the judges before the final result was known.

Three Kiwi shearers will tomorrow night(Saturday) be trying to exact some honour for the home country in a shearing test against Australia, which have won seven of the countries’ last eight transtasman matches, and created a 28-all tie in the numbers of tests won since regular transtasman exchanges began in 1974-75.

Result: Elders Primary Wool Woolhandling Test: Australia (Sarah Moran, Tara Smith) 400.022pts, beat New Zealand (Ronnie Goss, Keryn Herbert) 501.488pts).

ENDS

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