KEY POINTS:
A spectacular shear by Napier's Dion King failed to stop reigning Golden Shears champion Paul Avery from winning a fourth consecutive Pahiatua Shears title yesterday.
King, the 2006 Golden Shears champion, blasted through 20 sheep in 15min 40.37s in the final shakedown before Masterton's iconic championships, which start on Thursday.
He beat Avery by 11 seconds, and finished more than a sheep ahead of 15-times Golden Shears champion David Fagan.
But the toss came in the pens where Avery, a South Taranaki farmer, won the day and claimed victory by just three-tenths of a point, with some surprise.
"I thought Dion had that," he said, as he accepted the winner's cheque of $1200.
Te Kuiti's "Mr Clean", Dean Ball, was third and No 1 ranked John Kirkpatrick, of Napier, was fourth, completing a weekend without victory after scoring 12 wins throughout the rest of the season.
It was a contrast of form for Fagan, who finished fifth, after winning at both the Taumarunui Shears on Friday and the Apiti Sports, also in fields of Golden Shears final quality.
At 46 he is gunning this week to become the oldest man to win the Golden Shears open, an honour that rests with the late Ivan Bowen, who won the inaugural title in 1961 at 45.
The continued difficulty younger shearers have of breaking into the elite bracket was highlighted yesterday when the top four qualifiers for the Pahiatua final comprised all of the winners of the Golden Shears open from the last 18 years.
Northlander Tane Henderson won yesterday's senior final by becoming one of the few to complete a senior final at under a minute per sheep, taking 9min 37.26s for 10 and maintaining enough quality to still head the runner-up, younger brother Toa, by more than 1.7pts.
Meanwhile, Manawatu farmer Veronica (Ronnie) Goss won the open title at the Dannevirke Woolhandling Championships yesterday, scoring an important win over world champion Joanne Kumeroa, of Wanganui, and Taihape schoolteacher Sheree Alabaster.
- NZPA
