Southland shearer Leon Samuels set the groundwork for his defence of the Golden Shears open title in Masterton this week with a commanding win at the Pahiatua Shears on Sunday.
Samuels emerged from a field of 53 in the heats, in which he qualified in sixth place, followed by fourth in the quarterfinals, and last man in from the semi-finals.
He was first-off in the final, in 16m 25.8s, and won by 1.395pts from 2024 New Zealand Shears Te Kuiti champion David Buick, of Pongaroa, who had started the weekend treble with a win at Taumarunui on Friday.
Samuels was 16 seconds clear of next-man-off Hemi Braddick, of Eketahuna, in the showdown of 20 sheep, in which all shearers — except four-time Golden Shears champion John Kirkpatrick, of Hawke’s Bay — finished in under 17 minutes.
With time and quality points combined, Braddick had to settle for third place, and Kirkpatrick was fourth.
Buick had the best quality points in the pens, while 2024 Golden Shears runner-up Casey Bailey, of Riverton, had the best points on the shearing board, with just nine penalties across the 20 sheep.
It completed a remarkable weekend of open shearing, in which Northland gun Toa Henderson won the Apiti YFC Sports title north of Feilding on Saturday.
None of the six at Taumarunui reached the final the next day at Apiti and in all 14 shearers were among the 18 finalists across the three days.
The most notable absentee was Hawke’s Bay gun and eight-time Golden Shears open champion Rowland Smith, who has won twice this season bouncing back from the injury that kept him out of last year’s championship.
The open wool handling finals during the weekend were also shared, with Te Anna Phillips claiming her first open title at Taumarunui, where the locals won all four wool handling finals, while Ngaira Puha, of Kimbolton, had her second win of the season at her home show at Apiti.
Absent from the two events was Joel Hanare, who this week goes for an 11th Golden Shears open wool handling title, as open shearers and wool handlers hit the second round of their New Zealand team selection series’ ahead of the World Championships in Masterton next year.
Also shared were the senior shearing titles, with Laura Bradley, of Papatawa, claiming her eighth title of the season at Taumarunui, John Cherrington, of Ōamaru, having his sixth win of the season at Apiti, and Taelor Tarrant, of Taumarunui, winning at Pahiatua, for his second win of the season.
Part-time Wairoa shearer and former Golden Shears novice winner Ryka Swann won the intermediate finals at Apiti and Pahiatua.
The Pahiatua Shears open final line-up awaits the result, with the win going to 2024 Golden Shears open champion Leon Samuels (left). Photo / Shearing Sports New Zealand
North Otago Junior shearer Tye Meikle took his tally for the season to 12 wins with victories at Taumarunui and Pahiatua but at Apiti he was runner-up to competition newcomer Paddy Hudson, of Hokonui, for a third time in five weeks.
Alice Otimi, of Ngapuke, near Taumarunui, won the senior wool handling finals at Taumarunui and Apiti.
The junior titles went to home-show competitor Miri Thompson at Taumarunui and senior shearer Bradley’s sister and former Golden Shears novice winner Eleri Bradley.
The competitions again reflected the big entry numbers ahead of the 63rd Golden Shears, which will attract more than 400 shearers, wool handlers and wool pressers to Masterton this week.
The increased numbers were also seen at the small Kaikoura A and P Show Shears, where 25 shearers competed on Saturday.
Taumarunui woolhandler Te Anna Phillips, seen here winning the Golden Shears junior final in Masterton in 2020. Photo / Pete Nikolaison
Wakefield shearer Travers Baigent won the open final, denying a first open final win for Axle Reid, formerly of Taihape and now of Waipawa.
Reid came second while stopping off to compete and judge on his way back to the North Island, where he competed the next day at Pahiatua.
But it’s not the end of the Golden Shears build-up, with the Hawke’s Bay Autumn Shears shearing and wool handling in Waipukurau today and the Wairarapa Pre-Shears wool handling championships on Wednesday at Mikimiki, north of Masterton.
By Monday morning, entries for the Golden Shears had risen to 477 across the nine Golden Shears Shearing and Woolhandling championships, an increase of 16 on last year, when there was a dramatic increase from recent years’ entries.
With some competing in both shearing and wool handling and others in wool pressing and the speed shear events, total entries have exceeded 570.
Shearing and wool handling: Weekend results
Taumarunui Jamboree Shears Shearing and Woolhandling Championships
