Family's Double Shear Delight - My Name Is Meikle, And So Is His

The father-and-son act of North Otago farmer Justin Meikle and teenager Tye Meikle scored a third double for the season by winning the Open and Junior shearing titles at the Peninsula Duvauchelle Shears on Saturday.

With dad returning to the competition board and the 16-year-old offspring setting-out on a career of his own, the pair had already won at the Ellesmere A and P Show in Leeston on October 19 and the Marlborough A and P Show in Blenheim three weeks later.

It was the sixth win of the season for Meikle Jnr, having also won at Ashburton before heading for his first mainshear in the North Island in the season and the added bonus of wins at Stratford and Whangarei.

Despite having more than 20 years on each of his three fellow finalists, Justin Meikle was first to finish the 12-sheep open final, at 11min 28s being the only one under a minute a sheep. He beating next-man-off and ultimate second placed Pleasant Point shearer, contractor and SSNZ regional delegate Ant Frew by 41 seconds, and 1.05pts on the scoresheet.

Third was Alex Smith, of Rakaia, and fourth was first-year Open shearer and former national No 1-ranked Intermediate and Senior shearer Blake Crooks, of Rangiora.

Tye Meikle, currently the No 1-ranked Junior this season, was first through the three sheep of the Junior final, shorn in 6min 58s, and, also with clearly the best quality, won by 15pts from Holly Holmes-Crombie, from Te Anau and now third in the rankings for the grade this season, with points from six competitions, including an A-grade show title in Christchurch.

Cheviot shearer Liam Norrie, a former No 1-ranked Junior, had his third Senior win, with Waikato shearer John Cherrington missing by just 0.33pts in a bid for his third win in six finals this season, while the Intermediate event, with just three entries, was won for a second year in a row by Banks Peninsula local Brad McNamara.

Saturday’s show, with 25 competitors across the four grades on a chilly and damp day, was the first in the Shearing Sports New Zealand season after the five-week break for the traditionally busiest weeks of the year in the woolshed.

There are three competitions in the South Island next weekend, with the Northern Southland Community Shears shearing and woolhandling championships near Lumsden on Friday, and on Saturday the Southland Shears’ national crossbred lambs shearing and woolhandling championships at Winton, and shearing only at the Golden Bay A and P Show in Takaka.

There will also be three shearing-only competitions in the North Island, on Saturday at the Kaikohe an the Wairoa A and P Show Shears at Kauhouroa, near Frasertown, and on Sunday the Horowhenua Shearing Championships in Levin.

The Wairoa Shears includes the first round of Senior shearing’s Te Whiringa Circuit, a series of 10 shows over nine weeks ending at the Waimarino Shears in Raetihi on March 15.

RESULTS from the Peninsula Duvauchelle Shears at the Duvauchelle A and P Show on Saturday, January 11, 2025:

Open final (12 sheep): Justin Meikle (Oamaru) 11m 28s, 39.32pts, 1; Ant Frew (Pleasant Point) 12m 19s, 40.37s, 2; Alex Smith (Rakaia) 13m 48s, 45.57pts, 3; Blake Crooks (Rangiora) 13m 16s, 46.05pts, 4.

Senior final (7 sheep): Liam Norrie (Cheviot) 10m 27s, 35.49pts, 1; John Cherrington (Ngaruawahia) 9m 5s, 35.82pts, 2; Edward Harrington (Akaroa) 10m 24s, 41.91pts, 3; Sam Bryan (West Melton) 10m 36s, 44.94pts, 4.

Intermediate final (5 sheep): Brad McNamara (Le Bons Bay) 8m 14s, 34.1pts, 1; Caleb Brooking (Mataura) 9m 50s, 38.1pts, 2; Jahvontay Smith (Christchurch) 7m 30s, 49.9pts, 3.

Junior final (3 sheep): Tye Meikle (Oamaru) 6m 58s, 28.9pts, 1; Holly Holmes-Crombie (Te Anau) 8m 46s, 44.3pts, 2; Michael Beer (Okains Bay) 7m 14s, 60.37pts, 3; Hanna Johns (Banks Peninsula) 8m 43s, 70.48pts, 4.

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