Hawke's Bay has scored a near clean sweep of titles at the national farm fencing championships which ended on Friday at the farm Fieldays at Mystery Creek, near Hamilton.
Smedley cadet farm tutor Shane Bouskill won his fourth Golden Pliers singles title and with son Tony won the Silver Spades pairs title, while Smedley cadets Jonty Wilson, of Wairoa, and Cody Mackinder, of Matiere, near Taumarunui, won the Silver Staples teams event contested by teams from Smedley, Waipaoa and Otiwhiti land-based training schools.
The only title not won by Hawke's Bay fencers was the Bill Schuler Novice, which went to Brodie Jennings, from the Whanganui area.
It was a particularly proud three days for Shane Bouskill, who successfully defended the Pliers ahead of his departure today for a defence of the World Championship he won in Germany two years ago.
As well as seeing two pupils take the training schools' honours, he was one of four Hawke's Bay fencers in the eight Golden Pliers finalists. Son Tony was third, Jason Van Beers, son of 13-times former champion Paul Van Beers, of Porangahau, was seventh, and Jack Richardson, of Waipukurau, the first Smedley Cadet to reach the final, was eighth.
