Tallest Timbersport Talent Take Out Titles And Make History

The Men’s and Women’s defending champions from last year’s NZ STIHL Timbersports® National Championships have gone ‘back-to-back’ winning their respective divisions again at this year’s event held over the weekend.

History was made in the Women’s competition where for the first time in any STIHL Timbersports event world-wide, the women competed across four individual disciplines instead of the usual three. The additional, new discipline being the ‘standing-block chop’ alongside the regular stock-saw, single saw and underhand-chop events.

Aussie-based Kiwi Anne Paterson led a 9-strong field to win the Women’s NZ STIHL TIMBERSPORTS® National Championships for the third time in a row and was proud to be part of this historic event.

“It means the world to me. Chopping is a huge part of my life and to be able to come back home and secure this third title and be recognised in this expanded inaugural women’s event is fantastic.”

Paterson who hails from Greymouth, left the west coast for the Gold Coast nine years ago where she continued her passion for wood chopping, becoming one of Australia’s top axe-woman in the highly competitive circuit across the Tasman, winning several state and regional titles.

Paterson placed amongst the top three competitors across all disciplines – including winning the ‘standing-block chop’ - to take a comfortable victory. Last year’s second and third place finishers swapped positions on the podium – with Alma Wallace of Otaki taking silver from Rolleston’s Raewyn Windley.

King Country farmer, and reigning three time World Trophy champion, Jack Jordan won his fourth Men’s national title, held as part of the Rural Games in Palmerston North.

Jordan and his brother Shane (who Jack beat by less than a second at last year’s Nationals) were once again the top two competitors going into the final ‘hot-saw’ event of the six overall wood-chopping and wood-sawing disciplines.

Shane ended up being disqualified in the hot-saw (super-powered chainsaws) for cutting beyond the allowed marked area, handing the title to brother Jack who now goes on to represent New Zealand again at the STIHL Timbersports® World Championships in Europe later this year.

“It’s a lot of pressure that comes with this single today that qualifies us to go overseas. If you have a bad day here it can really stuff your whole Timbersports season. But now this title really sets me up for the rest of the year, so I’m really looking forward to heading overseas and competing against the rest of the world.”

Tokoroa’s Cleveland Cherry – competing in his first Men’s division after moving up from the Rookies - finished a very credible third overall.

The Rookies (Under-25 year) division, was decided by a single point in the very last discipline – the Springboard event between the two leading contenders Matthew Gower of Whangamomona and Morgan Bolstad from Taumarunui. Gower – last year’s Runner Up – went one better this year to claim his first National title, beating Bolstad (second) and Stratford’s Sam Bellamy who finished third overall.

Results

Men’s Competition:

1st Jack Jordan - Taumarunui

2nd Shane Jordan – Taranaki

3rd Cleveland Cherry - Tokoroa

Women’s Competition:

1st Anne Paterson - Queensland/Greymouth

2nd Alma Wallace - Otaki

3rd Raewyn Windley - Rolleston

Rookies Competition:

1st Matthew Gower – Whangamomona

2nd Morgan Bolstad - Taumarunui

3rd Sam Bellamy - Stratford

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