A five-season slog climbing the open class shearing ranks bore fruit for former Golden Shears senior champion Angus Moore when he won New Zealand's top all-wools shearing prize at the Golden Shears in Masterton on Saturday afternoon.
The former Marborough College head boy, now aged 27 and due to marry woolhandler and long-time girlfriend Ratapu Paikea at Otamatea Marae in Northland next month, won the PGG Wrightson National final.
His victory followed five preliminary rounds over five different wool types, starting with the New Zealand finewool championships in Alexandra in October, and all five wool types were used in the 16-sheep final, the 40th for the McSkimming Memorial Triple Crown.
Moore scored probably the biggest win ever by a shearer from the top of the south, comparable only with Blenheim shearer Percy Barrett's Alexandra win in 1977.
From the farming locality of Ward, where parents Don and Sue still run the family farm, Moore won the Golden Shears senior final in 2007, but said at least as big a highlight prior to today's triumph was his second placing in the National series last year.