KEY POINTS:
The gender gap was shaved a little thinner last night when a woman nearly fleeced the senior title of the 47th Golden Shears in Masterton.
Newlywed Emily Welch, 27, came runner-up in a fiercely fought contest with former Marlborough Boys' High head boy Angus Moore, 21.
She's a hard road finding the perfect woman - their only wins have been in the junior championship. Canada's Fiona Nettlet broke the duck in 1988, succeeded by Jane Leogreen, a Hawke's Bay farmer, now a Golden Shears judge.
Welch began shearing as Emily Woodward less than five years ago and met husband Sam when they were competitors in the junior classes at competitions throughout the North Island.
Sam Welch reached the Golden Shears open quarter-finals, but was eliminated on Friday night.
