Big day for Morrell family at Southland Shears

The national crossbred lambs junior woolhandling final lineup - winner Charis Morrell (left), runner-up Heaven Little, third-placed Samantha Allen, and Georgie Blackbur, fourth. Photo / Supplied

There was maybe a new star born as 14-year-old Charis Morrell won the junior woolhandling final at the Southland Shears national lambs shearing and woolhandling championships at the Winton A and P Show on Saturday.

Although it was Morrell's first win, it was not her first moment in the shearing sports spotlight.

Her career started at the top as an 11-year-old when she partnered with mother Gabriella Schmidt-Morrell to give the mum's native Switzerland a presence at the 2017 World Championships in Invercargill.

It was a big day at Winton for the daughters of former champion shearer Dion Morrell, with not only Charis' success, but current world teams champion Pagan Karauria winning the open woolhandling final for a fourth time, and sister Larnie Morrell placing third.

The runner-up in Saturday's junior final was Heaven Little, from Masterton, who the previous day added the Northern Southland Community Shears title on longwool to her first win, at the New Zealand Spring Shears title in Waimate in October.

In the open final Karauria continued an exceptional sequence of national titles, being the first to win the national fine wool, spring shears, Corriedales and lambs titles in one season, but still seeking a first win in glamour North Island events the Golden Shears open in Masterton and the New Zealand Shears open in Te Kuiti.

Defending Winton open champion Joel Henare missed out on a place in the final, just 24 hours after winning the Northern Southland Community Shears longwool title near Lumsden.

Read more shearing articles here.

Runner-up in the final was Keryn Herbert who has twice won the Winton title, in 2011 and 2013.

The senior woolhandling final was won by Gore-based Krystal Schimanski, whose only previous senior win had been the New Zealand Woolhandler of the Year title in Balclutha two years ago.

Meanwhile, Wairarapa shearer and New Zealand team member David Buick extended a string of lamb shearing wins when he won the open shearing final.

He has now won both the New Zealand Lamb Shearing Championships at Fairlie's Mackenzie Shears and the crossbred lambs title in Winton twice in a row.

Finishing the six-man final of over 20 lambs each in 16min 41.5sec, he was 13 seconds quicker than the next man off, but also had the best pen-judging marks to win by a comfortable 3.68pts from eventual runner-up Casey Bailey, from Riverton.

RESULTS from the Southland Shears and New Zealand Crossbred Lambs shearing and woolhandling championships at the Winton A and P Show on Saturday, January 18, 2020:

Shearing:

Open final (20 lambs): David Buick (Pongaroa) 16min 41.5sec, 57.725pts, 1; Casey Bailey (Riverton) 17min 16.1sec, 61.405pts 2; Troy Pyper (Invercargill/Waikari) 16min 54.63sec, 62.0315pts, 3; Jack Fagan (Te Kuiti) 17min 59.44sec, 64.122pts, 4; Nathan Stratford (Invercargill) 19min 44.18sec, 66.159pts, 5; Brett Roberts (Mataura) 18min 8.03sec, 69.0515pts, 6.

Open Plate (10 lambs): Ringakaha Paewai (Gore) 10min 8.1sec, 34.005pts, 1; Leon Samuels (Ohai) 8min 54.88sec, 34.844pts, 2; Andy Mainland (Kapuka) 10min 40.75sec, 36.9375pts, 3; Luis Pincol (Chile/Waimate) 12min 10.37sec, 40.7185pts, 4; Jason Ratima (Winton) 10min 1.65sec, 42.0825pts, 5; Lionel Taumata (Taumarunui/Gore) 10min 33.84sec, 44.992pts, 6.

Senior final (12 lambs): Simon Goss (Mangamahu) 13min 29.3sec, 49.7983pts, 1; Chris Malcolm (Winton) 13min 25.34sec, 51.4337pts, 2; Jesse Barclay (Mataura) 15min 4.28sec, 54.3807pts, 3; Kahn Culshaw (Mataura) 14min 51.97sec, 55.4318pts, 4; Liam Norrie (Cheviot) 16min 7.5sec, 55.7197pts, 5; Jared Manihera (Dunedin) 17min 24.75sec, 65.4875pts, 6.

Intermediate final (8 lambs): Brayden Clifford (Waikaka) 11min 58sec, 41.275pts, 1; Matt Hunt (Waikaka) 9min 52.84sec, 43.142pts, 2; Daniel Biggs (Mangamahu) 12min 0.78sec, 46.039pts, 3; James Dickson (Gore) 11min 7sec, 48.1pts, 4; Brodie Horrell (Gore) 12min 6.91sec, 49.2205pts, 5; Jonah Karena-Tutapu (Mataura) 11min 54.37sec, 53.4685pts, 6.

Junior final (3 lambs): Wiremu Pewhairangi (Mataura) 6min 44.62sec, 31.8977pts, 1; Eli Winders (Invercargill) 8min 35.5sec, 33.775pts, 2; James Wilson (Ryall Bush) 7min 48.75sec, 34.7708pts, 3; Marius Klopper (Bloemfontein, South Africa) 5min 42sec, 37.7667pts, 4; Richard Lancaster (England) 8min 35.35sec, 37.76785pts, 5; Adam Webster (Winton) 5min 41.21sec, 41.7272pts, 6.

Woolhandling:

Open final: Pagan Karauria (Alexandra) 29.98pts, 1; Keryn Herbert (Te Kuiti) 33.336pts, 2; Larnie Morrell (Masterton/Alexandra) 34.856pts, 3; Tina Elers (Mataura) 48.456pts, 4.

Senior final: Krystal Schimanski (Gore) 46.21pts, 1; Nova Kumeroa Elers (Mataura) 56.444pts, 2; Kahlo Tuuta (Chatham Islands) 68.44pts, 3; Sunnii Te Whare (Christchurch) 78.15pts, 4.

Junior final: Charis Morrell (Alexandra) 35.28pts, 1; Heaven Little (Masterton/Balclutha) 38.13pts, 2; Samantha Allen (Balclutha) 43.88pts, 3; Georgie Blackburn (Tinwald) 61.79pts, 4.