Kirkpatricks In Charge At Wairarapa Spring Shears

It was another Kirkpatrick invasion as the shearing dynasty from Hawke’s Bay and Gisborne moved-in on the Wairarapa A and P Show’s Spring Shears on Sunday, at Clareville, Carterton.

Just as they had at the Gisborne Shears which kicked-off the competition season at the Poverty Bay A and P Show on October 18, Master Shearer John Kirkpatrick won the Open shearing final, crew Bruce Grace, of Wairoa, won the Senior final, and niece Jodiesha Kirkpatrick, of Gisborne, won both the Junior shearing and woolhandling finals.

For Jodiesha Kirkpatrick it continued a remarkable start to the 2024-2025 season, having just missed another double at Hawke’s Bay’s Great Raihania Shears on October 24, when wining the Junior woolhandling final but finishing runner-up in the shearing.

For John Kirkpatrick ONZM it was a particularly special moment, for, now with 214 Open wins to his name in New Zealand, Australia and the UK, thought to be second only to King Country icon Sir David Fagan, who was Knighted in the 2016 New Year Honours after retiring with a career tally of 642 wins.

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The show was where he scored his first Senior win of 20 in the 1993-1994 season, and his first Open win the following October, as one of the very few to make an immediate winning impression in the Open-class notorious for its long apprenticeships for even some of the best performers from the lower grades.

He’s now won the Wairarapa title nine times, but Sunday’s was as tough as it gets, last off the board in a four-man final over 15 sheep each, about 46 seconds and thus two-and-a-half time-points behind first-man-off David Buick, of Pongaroa, yet coming home on quality points which still enabled a clear win, Kirkpatrick’s 51.565pts being over two points clear of runner-up Buick’s 53.664..

With 28 penalties on the board and 91 in the pens, Kirkpatrick’s combined quality points of 7.934 compared with runner-up Buick’s 12.334.

Third was Napier shearer Paraki Puma, who won the Open Plate at Hawke’s Bay, and led the pace early in the final, and fourth was 2023 winner Hemi Braddock, of Eketahuna.

Grace’s third Senior win of the season was by just 0.047pts over in beating Hawke’s Bay winner Laura Bradley, of Papatawa, Southern Hawke’s Bay, based on better quality points after Bradley ended 39 seconds clear on the board after shearing the eight sheep in 8m 48.44s.

Jake Goldsbury, of Waitotara, Taranaki, won the Intermediate final by eight points from first-time finalist Daniel O’Boyle, of Masterton, Jodiesha Kirkpatrick’s win in the Junior final was by 1.505pts from Masterton rookie Hayden Sargent, who in a four-sheep final was first to finish by almost 1m 45s. The novice winner was Phoebe Monk, of Masterton.

Ngaira Puha, of Kimbolton, won the Open woolhandling final, her first win of the season, and the third open win of her career, but it was again all-but for Eketahuna woolhandler Ngaio Hanson, a current Transtasman Series New Zealand representative and 2023 World championships representative who was runner-up and remains still without an Open win despite having reached at least 20 finals over more than a decade as an Open-class competitor, including seven second placings.

Occasional competitor Ashleigh Ostler, from Kimbolton, won the Senior woolhandling final, from first-time finalists Jessica Griffith and Shylagh Gordon, both of Masterton.

The competitions attracted 80 shearers and woolhandlers, with the next North Island competition being the Central Hawke’s Bay A and P Show’s shearing and woolhandling championships in Waipukurau this Saturday.

Results from the Wairarapa Spring Shears at the Wairarapa A and P Show at Clareville, Carterton, on Sunday, November 3, 2024:

Shearing

Open final (15 sheep): John Kirkpatrick (Pakipaki) 14m 32.63s, 51.565pts, 1; David Buick (Pongaroa) 13m 46.62s, 53.664pts, 2; Paraki Puna (Napier) 13m 55.82, 54.591pts, 3; Hemi Braddick (Eketahuna) 14m 2.38s, 55.052pts, 4.

Senior final (8 sheep): Bruce Grace (Wairoa) 9m 27.5s, 38pts, 1; Laura Bradley (Papatawa) 8m 48.44s, 38,.047pts, 2; Jack Hutchinson (England) 9m 43.28s, 39.789pts, 3; Tawera Brown (Martinborough) 10m 29.88s, 46.619pts, 4.

Intermediate final (5 sheep): Jake Goldsbury (Waitotara) 7min 31.35s, 38.168pts, 1; Daniel O’Boyle (Masterton) 9m 44.88s, 39.444pts, 2; Michael Buick (Pongaroa) 10m 43.22s, 41.761pts, 3; Lachie Cameron (Pohangina) 10m 55.12s, 43.956pts, 4.

Junior final (4 sheep): Jodiesha Kirkpatrick (Gisborne) 10m 55.37s, 47.269pts, 1; Hayden Sargent (Masterton) 9m 10.53s, 48.777pts, 2; Waiari Puna (Napier) 11m 40.03s, 49.252pts, 3; Tatijana Keefe (Raupunga) 11m 41.87s, 51.344pts, 4.

Novice final (1 sheep): Phoebe Monk (Masterton) 3m 56.6s, 30.83pts, 1; Alex Wrenn (Dannevirke) 3m 19.87s, 35.994pts, 2; Angus Monk (Masterton) 3m 53.03s, 42.652pts, 3; Cam Henson (Palmerston North) 48.402pts, 4.

Woolhandling:

Open final: Ngaira Puha (Kimbolton) 147.744pts, 1; Ngaio Hanson (Eketahuna) 173.978pts, 2; Samantha Gordon (Masterton) 176.444pts, 3.

Senior final: Ashleigh Ostler (Kimbolton) 105.662pts, 1; Jessica Griffith (Masterton) 157.244pts, 2; Shylagh Gordon (Masterton) 165.276pts, 3.

Junior final: Jodiesha Kirkpatrick (Gisborne) 84.462pts, 1; Waiari Puna (Napier) 104.488pts, 2; Kahi Peneha (Masterton) 143.03pts, 3.

Novice: Caitlin Murphy (Pongaroa) 89.72pts, 1; Paita Eruera (Eketahuna) 112.03pts,. 2; Manaia Papworth (Masterton) 113.53pts, 3.

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