Kiwi claims world sheep shearing title

Cam Ferguson. Photo / Wairarapa Times-Age

Central Hawke's Bay shearer Cam Ferguson became an overnight star in sheep shearing when he beat fellow New Zealander and hot favourite David Fagan to win the world individual machines title in Wales early today.

Less than a year ago, Ferguson, 26, from Waipawa, had won just three open-class titles, compared with the legendary 48-year-old Fagan, who claimed a 602nd title when winning the Royal Welsh Show All-Nations title in a world championship warm-up on Monday.

Ferguson only got the chance to go to the world championships when he won the 50th Golden Shears open final in Masterton in March.

He revealed soon after today's win in front of 3000 spectators he would have otherwise been at home preparing for a world tally record bid.

He shore 856 in a nine-hour blow-out at Ohineumeri, near Waipukurau, last December and today was still not discounting a challenge for the woolshed record.

"We can talk about that," he said in the din of the pavilion where he and New Zealand-based Scottish hope Gavin Mutch each shore 20 lambs in 11 minutes 45 seconds to finish seven seconds ahead of Te Kuiti gun Fagan. Among the crowd were Ferguson's partner Teresa Hall and their infant daughter Kalyah.

Ferguson sewed up the title with the better points from the judges in the outside pens, and five-times former winner Fagan claimed second place, as Mutch sacrificed quality for speed on the board.

Ferguson was quick to recognise Fagan who had been his mentor throughout the tour, which he started in June after a short work stint in Italy. He recorded his first Northern Hemisphere win in the Royal Cornwall open.

That was his only other win since his victory at the Golden Shears, where he had first become prominent winning the senior title in 2004.

But he has won over 50 titles in Speedshears, the one-sheep speed test now a popular spectator pub sport, with combined earnings topping $25,000. Today he won 1200 pounds.

It was a big day for New Zealand, with Ferguson and Fagan also winning the teams final, while Taihape schoolteacher Sheree Alabaster had to be content with second in her world woolhandling title defence, won by Bronwen Tango, Wales' first winner in the history of the championships.

New Zealand completed a set of podium finishes in all six finals, when Brian Thomson, of West Melton, was third in the individual blades final won by three-times former winner Zingisele Elliot Ntsombo, of Lesotho, and teamed with Allen Gemmell, of Loburn, for third in the blades teams final won by South African pair Bangani Joel and Mayenzeke Shweni.

There were big celebrations in Central Hawke's Bay where Ferguson's family heard of the win from Hawke's Bay Today reporter Doug Laing, in Wales as media officer with Shearing Sports New Zealand.

Also celebrating was contractor Neil Waihape, for whom Ferguson has worked most of the last year.

The championships attracted competitors from 28 countries, and weren't the end of the line on the Kiwi tour. Tomorrow Ferguson and Fagan shear a test against Welsh shearers Gareth Daniel and Gareth Evans, and go to Corwen the next day hoping to wrap-up a test series 4-0 before heading home.

- NZPA