Covid 19 Delta outbreak: 2021/2022 Shearing sports season continues

Photo / File

The Southland Shears and national crossbred lamb shearing and woolhandling championships will go ahead on January 15, despite the cancellation of the Winton A and P Show.

That's the promise of convener, Shearing Sports South Island chairman and Shearing Sports New Zealand deputy chairman Mike Hogan.

Hogan was confident the championships could still be held in the pavilion at the Winton Racecourse, under alert level 2 restrictions.

However, it's not good news for two other competitions also scheduled for January 15.

The Kaikohe A P and H Show in the Far North and the Golden Bay A and P Show at Takaka have both been cancelled.

The Murchison A and P Show, which was to have been held on February 19, has also been called off.

Events still going ahead as stand-alone shearing and woolhandling competitions include the Northern Southland Community Shears at Lumsden on January 14, the Otago Shears in Balclutha on February 12, and the Southern Shears in Gore on February 18-19, Hogan said.

Meanwhile, the Nelson A and P Show Shears is still going ahead this Saturday, completing the 2021-2022 season's pre-Christmas phase, which has seen the cancellation of 10 A and P show shearing sports events, from an original schedule of 17 championships through the country.

Among the cancellations are all seven competitions in the North Island, where hopes are still high that the season will get underway with the shearing-only Wairoa show, also on January 15.

Woolhandlers won't get their first shot in the North Island until late January, with the Taihape and Rotorua shows on January 29-30 - the first of five woolhandling competitions in the North Island in nine days.

Of the seven that have gone ahead in the South Island, three are stand-alone events and four at A and P shows that have been either cancelled or held without general public attendance.

The South Island season in the New Year is expected to resume as usual with the Peninsula Duvauchelle Shears at the Duvauchelle A and P Show on January 8.

The current schedule for the rest of the 2021-2022 season is

November 20 (Sat): Nelson A and P Show.

January 8 (Sat): Peninsula Duvauchelle Shears.

January 14 (Fri): Northern Southland Community Shears, at Lumsden.

January 15 (Sat): Wairoa A and P Show; Southland Shears NZ Crossbred Lambs Champs, at Winton.

January 22 (Sat): Tapawera Shears.

January 23 (Sun): Horowhenua A, P and I Show, at Levin.

January 29 (Sat): Taihape A and P Show.

January 30 (Sun): Geyserland Agrodome Shears Rotorua, at Ngongotaha.

February 4 (Fri): Dannevirke A and P Show.

February 5 (Sat): North Kaipara A and P Show, at Paparoa; Rangitikei Shearing Sports, at Marton; Reefton Shears, at Inangahua A and P Show, Reefton

February 6 (Sun): Aria Waitangi Day Sports.

February 12 (Sat): Northern Wairoa A and P Show, at Arapohue; Te Puke A and P Show; Otago Shears, at Balclutha.

February 18-19 (Fri-Sat): Southern Shears, at Gore.

February 19 (Sat): North Hokianga A and P Show, at Broadwood; Ohura A and P Show; Murchison A and P Show.

February 20 (Sun): Counties Shears, at Pukekohe.

February 25 (Fri): Taumarunui Shears.

February 26 (Sat): Apiti Sports Shears; Kaikoura A and P Show.

February 27 (Sun): Pahiatua Shears.

March 2 (Wed): Wairarapa Pre-Shears Woolhandling, at Riverside Farm, Mikimiki.

March 3-5 (Thu-Sat): Golden Shears, at Masterton.

March 5 (Sat): Amuri A and P Show, at Rotherham.

March 12 (Sat): Kumeu A and H Show; Cheviot A and P Show; Mayfield A and P Show.

March 19 (Sat): Warkworth A and P Show; Waimarino Shears, at Raetihi; Methven Lamb Shears, at Methven A and P Show.

March 26 (Sat): Waitomo Caves Sports.

March 27 (Sun): Flaxbourne A and P Show, at Ward.

March 31-April 2 (Thu-Sat): New Zealand Shears, at Te Kuiti.

April 2 (Sat): Oxford A and P Show.

April 15-16 (Fri-Sat): Royal Easter Show, at Auckland.

April 18 (Mon): Mackenzie A and P Show, at Fairlie.