Increased Prizemoney, Women's Event At Canterbury Shears

An increase in Open shearing prizemoney and a first Corriedale Championships women’s event will be features of the Canterbury Shears at the New Zealand Agricultural Show in Christchurch next week.

New shears committee chairman James Dwyer, who also heads organisation of the Peninsula Duvauchelle Shears in January, confirmed that as a result of extra sponsorship for the Open-class shearing the winning purse for the glamour event will be increased from $1500 to $2000, and prizemoney will be paid to 12th place.

The new women’s event will have a first prize of $200, with organisers planning at least one heat and a final with entries from across the grades, following a new growth in the number of women competing in shearing events this season.

According to Shearing Sports New Zealand results, women have already won seven Intermediate or Junior events in the South Island this season, and 13 women have achieved top-six placings in Intermediate, Junior and Novice events throughout New Zealand.

Of the winners, two also shore in the first women’s event final of the season at the Waimate Spring Shears on October 15.

The New Zealand Corriedale woolhandling Open,.Senior and Junior championships will be decided on the first day on Thursday, and the shearing Open, Senior, Intermediate and Junior titles will be decided on Friday, with heats on both days starting at 8am.

The November 11-12 championships comprise the third round of the PGG Wrightson Vetmed National Shearing Circuit and are a qualifying round of the New Zealand Shears Circuit, both for Open shearers.

They’re also a round of the Canterbury-Marlborough Development Circuit for Junior and Intermediate shearers, while the Golden Blades will be the fourth round of the Wools of New Zealand 2023 World Championships New Zealand team selection series to decide two shearers to defend the World bladeshearing titles in Scotland next June.

They’re also a round in the South Island Open,Senior and Junior woolhandling circuits, but there will be no Canterbury All Breeds Shearing Circuit final, a consequence of the cancellation of contributing shows during the Covid-19 restrictions last summer.

The last two winners of the Open shearing final – Southern Hawke’s Bay-based Scotland international and former World and Golden Shears Open winner Gavin Mutch, and Marlborough shearer and two-times New Zealand national circuit champion Angus Moore – have both confirmed they will compete in Christchurch.

The Open woolhandling final was won last year by Joel Henare, from Gisborne but now living at Port Motueka, and in 2020 it was won by Pagan Rimene, of Alexandra.

Shearers will be able to warm-up for next week’s events by competing at the Marlborough A and P Show Shears in Blenheim or the Get to the Point Pleasant Point Gymkhana Shears, both tomorrow (Saturday).

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