A new Golden Shears champion has dedicated her win today to the memory of her mum, who died in a road tragedy.
Te Anna Phillips, of Taumarunui, said after winning the Junior woolhandling final she had wanted to make mother Sunnie
Hughes proud, she was sure she had done, and had she been among the crowd in Masterton’s War Memorial Stadium, she would
have been “screaming” the house down.
“My mum was my everything,” she said. “She still is. My inspiration, my hero. All I’ve ever wanted to do was make my mum
proud. That’s what brought me to the Goldies.”
Her mum died after a crash in which the car in which she was a passenger hit a pole in Taumarunui on July 24, 2015.
Phillips, now 22, started competing a year or so later, with just her home show in Taumarunui.
She had her first win at Aria last year, but hit the track big-time in the 2019-2020 season with sister Vinniye.
They dominated the competitions in the North Island, Te Anna Phillips winning at Gisborne and Hastings in October and
Rotorua, Dannevirke, Marton, Aria and Tamarunui in the last six weeks, to be strongly favoured for a victory in one of
three traditional Golden Shears title events on the third morning of the four-day 60th celebration in Masterton.
Vinniye had had three wins but did not reach the Masterton final.
The other triumphs included a Welsh quinella in the Junior shearing final, won by Rhayader teenager Ellis Rees, who
turned 19 last Saturday. The runner-up was more-favoured Corwen shearer Sam Jones, who had won six finals during the New
Zealand summer, including major titles at Marton, Balclutha and Gore since the start of February.
The Intermediate shearing final was won 21-year-old Cullum Pritchard, of Pongaroa, a globetrotting shearer who had not
been a frequent competitor and had not won this season, unlike brother Leam who had four wins but missed a place in the
final.
A former star of the Intermediate grade returned to the stadium to win the Over 76 Evergreens final – with shearing
titles 53 years apart.
Hugh McCarroll, of Tauranga, an MNZM recipient for his service to shearing and agriculture, is 80 and had won the
Intermediate title in 1967, at the age of 27.
Also in his event was 86-year-old Southland veteran Ian “Snow” Harrison, who was 6th, just as he was in the founding
Open championship final in 1961.
All three Evergreens winners have been competition judges and New Zealand team managers, with 66-75yrs Evergreens final
won by Peter McCabe, also of Tauranga, and the 55-65years final by current New Zealand transtasman team manager Dave
Brooker, of Rangiora.
The Evergreens woolhandling event was won by Rose Puha, of Kimbolton, also a woolhandling competition judge.
RESULTS of finals on the third day of the 60th Golden Shears international shearing and woolhandling championships being
held in Masterton on March 4-7, 2020:
Shearing:
Intermediate final (8 sheep): Cullum Pritchard (Pongaroa) 10min 34.315sec, 42.841pts, 1; Brayden Clifford (Waikaka)
11min 35.427sec, 43.521pts, 2; Cory Barrowcliffe (Piopio) 11min 18.797sec, 43.94pts, 3; Aled Llyr Evans (Wales) 11min
7.406sec, 45.37pts, 4; Manahi Fox (Masterton) 11min 8.862sec, 45.434pts, 5; Matthew Hunt (Waikaka) 10min 44.257sec,
47.963pts, 6.
Junior final (5 sheep): Elis Rees (Wales) 8min 14.586sec, 33.129pts, 1; Sam Jones (Wales) 8min 59.489sec, 33.574pts, 2;
Destiny Paikea (Heriot) 9min 21.806,sec, 38.09pts, 3; Adam Gordon (Masterton) 10min 26.771pts, 4; 40.539pts, 4; James
Wilson (Winton) 9min 45.947sec, 41.297pts, 5; Kyle Rhodes (Wairoa) 9min 20.448sec, 41.622pts, 6.
Woolhandling:
Junior final: Te Anna Phillpis (Taumarunui) 152.08pts, 1; Jess Stewart (Masterton) 196.3pts, 2; Heaven Little
(Balclutha) 224.7pts, 3; Conan Gray-Harmon (Masterton) 241.56pts, 4.
Evergreen Golden Shears 60 Shearing Celebration:
Shearing Over 76yrs (2 sheep): Hugh McCarroll (Tauranga) 4min 50.38sec, 23.019pts, 1; Jeff Crengle (Invercargill) 4min
59.54sec, 26.977pts, 2; Ian Stewart (Masterton) 5min 7.42sec, 28.371pts, 3; Allan Bridson (Whangamata) 4min 33.3sec,
30.665pts, 4; Sid Tatana (Masterton) 3min 59.94sec, 31.497pts, 5; Ian Harrison (Invercargill) 4min 51.6sec, 40.08pts, 6.
Shearing 66-75yrs (3 sheep): Peter McCabe (Tauranga) 5min 12.971sec, 20.649pts, 1; John Hand (Australia) 4min 28.997sec,
24.45pts, 2; Richard Pearson (Carterton) 4min 58.461sec, 26.59pts, 3; Philip Woodward (Waikaretu) 5min 10.701sec,
28.868pts, 4.
Shearing 55-65yrs (3 sheep): Dave Brooker (Rangiora) 5min 22.841sec, 25.392pts, 1; Russell Knight (Apiti) 5min
49.774sec, 26.239pts, 2; Nuki Gordon (Masteron) 5min 41.312sec, 28.816pts, 3; David Hodge (Whakatane) 6min 32.325sec,
33.366pts, 4; Bruce Pankhurst (Masterton) 6min 1.25sec, 33.563pts, 5; Steven Cooper (Opotiki) 6min 13.636sec, 33.932pts,
6
Woolhandling: Rose Puha (Kimbolton)40.22pts, 1; Waima Peneha (Masterton/Australia) 50.78pts, 2; Rangi Roycroft (Piopio)
51.1pts, 3; Dayna Te Aho (Milton) 56.56pts, 4.