Rimene in class of her own

Woolhandling

Attempts to keep woolhandling competition alive at the Cheviot A&P Show in North Canterbury opened the door to a rare double for Masterton's Pagan Rimene.

Unlikely to have been at Saturday's show without the woolhandling on the programme, she won the open woolhandling final and the junior shearing final.

A small number of similar doubles have been recorded in recent seasons by Cushla and David Gordon, also of Masterton, but none involving wins in the open class.

While a regular now at least at semifinal level, Rimene had just two previous open woolhandling wins, the most recent last month in Balclutha, when she was also crowned a double champion. There she was both the Otago Championships' Woolhandler of the Year and the South Island Woolhandling Circuit finals winner.

It was only later she learned the Woolhandler of the Year title had been awarded mistakenly because of a computer-scoring error.

Rimene had top-three placings in junior shearing finals at the national crossbred lambshearing championship at Winton and at the Otago championships. At the Golden Shears, which ended on March 1, she reached the semifinals of both events.

Her shearing final win on Saturday brought a double-take for the commentator when the name Hugh De Lacy appeared among the list of competitors.

The finalist, who finished third, was the son of Fernside-based, award-winning agricultural journalist, Golden Shears Shear History co-author, one-time political aspirant and middle-distance running hope, former regular show competitor and former shearing contractor, Hugh De Lacy senior.

Keeping things honest, the proud father was among 12 in the open class heats.

He later admitted a little rustiness in his first competitive dabble since a nostalgic trip back to the Golden Shears in Masterton in 2010 for the 50th anniversary veterans event.