Troy Pyper wins New Zealand Lamb Shearing Championships

New national lamb shearing champion Troy Pyper, pictured shearing for New Zealand in a trans-tasman test at the 2020 Golden Shears. Photo / SSNZ

North Canterbury shearer Troy Pyper claimed one of the more satisfying wins of his career at the Mackenzie A and P Show's New Zealand Lamb Shearing Championships in Fairlie on Easter Monday.

Pyper won by a whisker, with just 0.02pts between him and runner up Leon Samuels, of Invercargill.

This close victory also ended the lamb shearing dominance of Wairarapa shearer David Buick, who had had to settle for sixth place after a rare finals blemish.

Two days earlier, Buick scored his 10th win in just 13 finals this season, at the Oxford A and P Show.

However, Buick, who has won four consecutive national titles on lambs in the last three years at Fairlie and Winton, had done enough to extend his lead in the national rankings - with four open shearing titles on the line at the season-ending New Zealand Shears in Te Kuiti this Thursday-Saturday.

Meanwhile Pyper, who in last year's shortened season became the first South Island shearer to claim the No 1 ranking, had focused mainly on the "local" shores of North Canterbury, Marlborough and Nelson, since winning the New Zealand Winter Comb title on fine wool merinos in Waimate in October.

On Monday he whipped through the 20 lambs of the six-man final in 11min 14.68sec, an average of less than 38 seconds each, caught, shorn and dispatched.

It gave him a time points buffer of 0.618pts, which Samuels all but pulled back with the better-quality points, including a penalty of just 0.85pts on the shearing board.

Third was Pleasant Point shearer Ant Frew in another tight result, by less than 0.0004pts from fourth-placed Nathan Stratford, of Invercargill.

Brayden Clifford, from Waikaka, John Cherrington, from Huntly, and Reuben King, of Rangiora, each completed a successful weekend, by winning their respective senior, intermediate and junior finals, as they had also done two days earlier at Oxford.

Clifford and King now lead the national rankings in their grades.

It was also double-double time for sisters Pagan Karauria and Charis Morrell as they won the open and junior woolhandling finals respectively, as woolhandling was held at the Mackenzie Shears for the first time.

In January the pair, from Alexandra, also won the open and junior woolhandling finals respectively at the New Zealand Crossbred Lamb Shearing Championships at the Southland Shears in Winton.

Candy Hiri, of Mataura, was runner-up, ahead of first-time open competitors Nova Kumeroa-Elers, also of Mataura, and Amber Poihipi, of Ohai.

Karauria heads the open woolhandling rankings going into the championships in Te Kuiti.

Krome Elers, of Mataura, won the senior final, and Lucy Gee Taylor, from Kimbolton, won the novice event.

World champion blade shearer Allan Oldfield, of Geraldine, won the blades event at Oxford, but there was no blades event at Fairlie.

Results from the Mackenzie A and P Show and New Zealand Lamb Shearing Championships at Fairlie on Monday, April 5, 2021

Shearing:

Open final (20 lambs): Troy Pyper (Cheviot) 11min 14.68sec, 41.3494pts, 1; Leon Samuels (Invercargill) 11min 29.03sec, 41.3514pts, 2; Ant Frew (Pleasant Point) 12min 40.69sec, 45.1114pts, 3; Nathan Stratford (Invercargill) 12min 37.62sec, 45.1118pts, 4; Ringakaha Paewai (Gore) 12min 31.47sec, 45.1889pts, 5; David Buick (Pongaroa) 11min 28.04sec, 48.5558pts, 6.

Senior final (8 lambs): Brayden Clifford (Waikaka) 8min 54.63sec, 33.2315pts, 1; Pagan Karauria (Alexandra) 9min 13.78sec, 36.064pts, 2; Philip Price (Wales) 8min 54.56sec, 36.103pts, 3; Taare Edwards (Ashburton) 9min 22.47sec, 36.4985pts, 4; Jack Gordon (Timaru) 9min 10.21sec, 39.1355pts, 5; Joel Richards (Oamaru) 8min 13.03sec, 45.5265pts, 6.

Intermediate final (5 lambs): John Cherrington (Huntly) 7min 49.16sec, 35.258pts, 1; James Wilson (-) 7min 27.59sec, 36.5795pts, 2; Hamish Allen (Methven) 8min 13.5sec, 37.475pts, 3; Darcy Tong (Timaru) 8min 49.1sec, 40.055pts, 4; Chase Rattray (Ashburton) 8min 41.38sec, 41.469pts, 5; Jack Duffy (Masterton) 8min 29.84sec, 49.292pts, 6.

Junior final (3 lambs): Reuben King (Rangiora) 7min 41.21sec, 26.3938pts, 1; Josh Devane (Taihape) 6min 46.22sec, 29.9777pts, 2; Sam Green (England) 6min 22.94sec, 31.8137pts, 3; Michael Buick (Pongaroa) 7min 48.28sec, 32.7473pts, 4; Callum Lusty (Tinwald) 7min 58.19sec, 37.2428pts, 5; Beau Cameron (Blenheim) 7min 37sec, 43.1833pts, 6.

Novice final, 1 lamb, cleanshear): Robin Krause (Pleasant Point) 3pts, 1; Lydia Thompson (-) 5pts, 2; Dallas Mihaere (Alexandra) 6pts, 3; Amber Gallagher (Fairlie) 8pts, 4; Brody Gallagher (Fairlie) 10pts, 5.

Woolhandling:

Open final: Pagan Karauria (Alexandra) 36.02pts, 1; Candy Hiri (Mataura) 41.32pts, 2; Nova Kumeroa Elers (Mataura) 47.53pts, 3; Amber Poihipi (Ohai) 47.91pts, 4.

Senior final: Krome Elers (Mataura) 95.248pts, 1; Destiny Paikea (Heriot) 112.03pts, 2; Sarah Davis 113.306pts, 3; Nicole Petuha (Masterton) 254.762pts, 4.

Junior final: Charis Morrell (Alexandra) 56.53pts, 1; Jessica Toa (-) 61.53pts, 2; Waimarama Armstrong (-) 77.72pts, 3; Sylvia Nikolaison (Cheviot) 84.69pts, 4.

Novice: Lucy Gee Taylor (Kimbolton) 54.94pts, 1; Kiera Tarras (Gore) 59.37pts, 2; Janine Rawiri (Gore) 72.96pts, 3; Darian Little (Gore) 79pts, 4.

Woolhandling:

Open final: Pagan Karauria (Alexandra) 36.02pts, 1; Candy Hiri (Mataura) 41.32pts, 2; Nova Kumeroa Elers (Mataura) 47.53pts, 3; Amber Poihipi (Ohai) 47.91pts, 4.

Senior final: Krome Elers (Mataura) 95.248pts, 1; Destiny Paikea (Heriot) 112.03pts, 2; Sarah Davis 113.306pts, 3; Nicole Petuha (Masterton) 254.762pts, 4.

Junior final: Charis Morrell (Alexandra) 56.53pts, 1; Jessica Toa (-) 61.53pts, 2; Waimarama Armstrong (-) 77.72pts, 3; Sylvia Nikolaison (Cheviot) 84.69pts, 4.

Novice: Lucy Gee Taylor (Kimbolton) 54.94pts, 1; Kiera Tarras (Gore) 59.37pts, 2; Janine Rawiri (Gore) 72.96pts, 3; Darian Little (Gore) 79pts, 4.

Results of the Oxford A and P Show shears on Saturday, April 3, 2021

Open final (12 sheep): David Buick (Pongaroa) 11min 50.84sec, 41.63pts, 1; Troy Pyper (Cheviot) 11min 37.78sec, 42.39pts, 2; Willy McSkimming (Taumarunui) 13min 9.93sec, 48.16pts, 3; Alex Smith (Rakaia) 14min 15.34sec, 52.35pts, 4.

Senior final (8 sheep): Brayden Clifford (Waikaka) 10min 21.69sec, 35.58pts, 1; Taare Edwards (Ashburton) 11min 20.21sec, 40.89pts, 2; Isaac Duckmanton (Christchurch) 10min 40.22sec, 42.51pts, 3; Philip Price (Wales) 11min 18.69sec, 44.18pts, 4.

Intermediate final (5 sheep): John Cherrington (Huntly) 7min 51.1sec, 29.76pts, 1; Ben Forrester (Rangiora) 8min 31.5sec, 32.58pts, 2; Chase Rattray (Ashburton) 8min 59.25sec, 33.36pts, 3; James Wilson 8min 49.49sec, 40.88pts, 4.

Junior final (3 sheep): Reuben King (Rangiora) 6min 47.55sec, 23.38pts, 1; Michael Buick (Pongaroa) 8min 4.6sec, 27.9pts, 2; Josh Devane (Taihape) 7min 10.03sec, 30.5pts, 3; Richard Parore (Ashburton) 8min 29.53sec, 39.14pts, 4.

Blades final (4 sheep): Allan Oldfield (Geraldine) 12min 30.44sec, 46.77pts, 1; Scott McKay (Kaikoura) 12min 26.9sec, 49.6pts, 2; Isaac Duckmanton (Christchurch) 12min 47.88sec, 65.89pts, 3; Shaun Burgess (Rakaia) 16min 6.53sec, 106.58pts, 4.