Leon Samuels, winner of the Aria Waitangi Day Sports open shearing title on Saturday, pictured shearing into third place 24 hours later at the Rangitikei Shearing Sports North Island Championships in Marton. Photo / SSNZ
Leon Samuels, winner of the Aria Waitangi Day Sports open shearing title on Saturday, pictured shearing into third place 24 hours later at the Rangitikei Shearing Sports North Island Championships in Marton. Photo / SSNZ
Worries about low wool prices, a shortage of shearers in the woolshed, and the daily uncertainty of Covid-19 were put aside for the holiday weekend, with big turnouts for three shearing and woolhandling competitions in the central North Island.
First up was the Dannevirke A and P Show shears in Southern Hawke's Bay on Friday, which attracted 99 shearers and 49 woolhandlers.
This was followed by the Aria Waitangi Day Sports in southern King County on Saturday, where entry numbers of 110 shearers and woolhandlers was close to the township's 2018 census population of 129.
Finally entries peaked at Marton with 101 shearers, and 54 woolhandlers, including record novice entries of 19 shearers and 17 woolhandlers.
Competitors travelled from as far as Kaiwaka in Northland and Invercargill in the south.
The unique three days of shearing and woolhandling on successive days at three separate venues in the central North Island became possible after Rangitikei shears organisers gave up their traditional first Saturday of February spot. This was to avoid a clash with the Aria sports, which are always held on Waitangi Day.
The show committee then initiated the Manawatu Knitting Mills (MKM) Mini Circuit, for novice, junior and intermediate shearers, and novice and junior woolhandlers. This event was sponsored by Manawatu Knitting Mills and the top four in each grade across the three shows won a MKM 36.6 wool/possum mix jersey.
It attracted 38 entries at $20 a head for the circuit, in addition to individual show entry costs and three days of travel and accommodation.
"It did exceed expectations. A lot more entries than I thought," committee member and shearer/woolhandler Jimmy Samuels said.
The three days provided plenty of opportunity, with particular highlights for Invercargill shearer Leon Samuels, Masterton woolhandler Samantha Gordon and Northland teenager Hamu Henderson.
Samuels had his first open win in the North Island, by beating a world class lineup at Aria on Saturday.
Samuels leapt into prominence last February, with wins in the Otago Shears and South Island Shearer of the Year finals, before shearing to third place in his first Golden Shears open final.
His win on Saturday was thought to be the first by a South Island shearer in a North Island open class strong wool final since runner-up and Marlborough shearer Angus Moore won at Kaikohe while working in Northland in 2010.
Meanwhile Gordon's triumph in Marton on Sunday was her first open woolhandling win - and one of six wins for Abraham Shearing crew during the weekend.
Gordon's brothers Joseph and Adam won intermediate titles at Dannevirke and Aria respectively, while her workmates Chris Dickson and Kyle Mita won senior titles at Aria and Marton respectively.
Meanwhile, the Gordons' brother-in-law and boss, Paerata Abraham won the Aria Cosmopolitan Club speed shear on Saturday night.
Family and crew from Masterton contractors Abraham Shearing, with the spoils of three days of shearing and woolhandling competitions. Photo / Supplied.
Northland teenager Hamu Henderson won on his 14th birthday at Dannevirke, and again the next day at Aria.
Henderson was the only shearer or woolhandler to win twice - as the 27 titles decided at the three shows were shared among 26 competitors.
Henderson was also one of just to get maximum points in the circuit, based on heats points at the three shows.
Meanwhile, his uncle Toa Henderson, was the only shearer to reach all three open shearing finals.
Shearing Sports New Zealand Chairman Sir David Fagan said the entry numbers reflected a keenness by competitors to enjoy their sport and the fraternity, after losing a third of the calendar's shows in the last 12 months to Covid-19 restrictions.
Entry numbers also illustrated the initiative of the Rangitikei Shearing Sports committee, headed by shearer Jacob Moore, in getting together the MKM circuit for the lower grades with "obvious success," Fagan said.
The shows, (with the Rangitikei open heats incorporating the fourth round of the National Shearing Circuit), were also supported by top South Island shearers Leon Samuels, reigning circuit champion Angus Moore, from Marlborough, and former circuit winner Nathan Stratford, of Invercargill, each of whom were among the nine shearers who made open finals over the three days.
Dannevirke convenor, farmer and 1995 Golden Shears Junior Champion shearer Jane Leogreen said her show attracted 13 more entries than last year.
This was despite the absence of shearers from overseas, whose entry to New Zealand had been limited by Covid-response border controls.
Aria competition convenor and shearing contractor Mark Barrowcliffe said the shows had been an introduction to competition for several from his crews, including nine who loaded up one of the vans and competed at all three venues.
Pongaroa farmer David Buick, hoping to become the first Wairarapa shearer to win the Golden Shears open final, won the Dannevirke open final (his sixth win of the season), while defending seven-times Golden Shears champion Rowland Smith, of Maraekaho won at Marton.
Meanwhile, reigning Golden Shears woolhandling champion Joel Henare, of Gisborne, won the Dannevirke open woolhandling title, but was beaten at Aria by 2019/2020 number one ranked open woolhandler Keryn Herbert, of Te Kuiti.
As well as the three competitions over the weekend there was also the Northern Kaipara A and P Show Shears at Paparoa, and sole South Island Waitangi Day weekend event, the Reefton Shears at the Inangahua A and P Show - both on Saturday.
Masterton's Samantha Gordon (centre) at the ready before the start of a final which produced her first open woolhandling title. Photo / SSNZ
Results from the Dannevirke A and P Show Shears at Dannevirke on Friday, February 5, 2021:
