Shearing: Phil Wedd starts Northland series with win

Phil Wedd in action in 2013. Photo / Supplied

Mobile shearing operator Phil Wedd drew first blood for the Warkworth team as he won the Kaikohe show's open final in the first round of the second ANZ Northland Shearing Competition on Saturday.

Wedd was scoring just his second win in a lengthy but sparsely-competed open-class career which he's mixed with shearing abroad, while also testing his form as a golfer.

Good enough for 6th place in the 1993 Golden Shears intermediate final and a couple of near-misses chasing a place in the open semi-finals, Wedd had his first open win at the North Kaipara show at Paparoa two years ago.

Read more about rural events here.

Wedd shore Saturday's 14 sheep in the quickest time of 14min 18sec and won by 1.39pts from runner-up and regular Northland shows winner Neville Osborne, of Dargaville.

"It was fun," he said, confirming he'll do all the shows in Northland in the next few weeks.

"Neil has me in the team," said Wedd, referring to stalwart Neil Sidwell, who kept his hand in by winning the veteran event.

The teams competition, based on show representatives' points across the grades, again showed its worth with 23 shearers competing on Saturday.

This was not a large entry by nationwide standards but more than had been regular at most shows in the north in recent seasons.

The senior final was a triumph for host-show representative Stefan Van Oorschott.

Alan Boler, of Wellsford, added the intermediate title to a victory he had six days earlier at Tauranga, and the junior final was won by Snell's Beach farmer Kelvin Welch, brother of Waikaretu open shearer Sam Welch.

RESULTS from the Kaikohe AP and H Show Shears on Saturday, January 19, 2019:

Open final (14 sheep): Phil Wedd (Silverdale) 14min 18sec, 57.18pts, 1; Neville Osborne (Dargaville) 14min 33sec, 58.57pts, 2; Gary Rix (Dargaville) 17min 18sec, 69.76pts, 3; Allan Bramley (Hukeranui) 18min 42sec, 73.38pts, 4.

Senior final (8 sheep): Stefan Van Oorschott (Kaikohe) 11min 35sec, 45.62pts, 1; Dan Berger (Ahuroa) 12min 41sec, 50.17pts, 2; Jayden Mainland (Wellsford) 12min 11sec, 54.17pts, 3; Steve Coop (Wellsford) 11min 43sec, 60.53pts, 4.

Intermediate final (3 sheep): Alan Boler (Wellsford) 5min 35sec, 22.08pts, 1; Rex Finlayson (Kai Iwi Lakes) 5min 47sec, 30.68pts, 2; James Quinn (Kaikohe) 5min 35sec, 44.75pts, 2.

Junior final (2 sheep): Kelvin Welch (Warkworth) 4min 37sec, 23.35pts, 1; Steve Pervis (Okaihau) 4min 31sec, 53.55pts, 2.

Veteran (2 sheep): Neil Sidwell (Kaukapakapa) 3min 51sec, 19.05pts, 1; Alan Bramley (Hukeranui) 2min 25sec, 20.25pts, 2; Steve Coop (Wellsford) 2min 56sec, 21.3pts, 3; Richard Dampney (Kaikohe) 3min 51sec, 31.55pts, 4.