Two shearing greats Fagan and Osborne battle it out at Warkworth Shears

Dargaville shearing veteran Ralph Smith, 70, after finishing third in the Warkworth Shears open final on Saturday, is flanked by winner Jack Fagan (left) and runner-up Neville Osborne

The open final at Warkworth A&P Show on Saturday was effectively a match between Te Kuiti's Jack Fagan and Dargaville's Neville Osborne.

Osborne had it all in the speed stakes, ripping through the 15 sheep in 11min 55sec for a time advantage worth more than four points, but Fagan made it all up in the quality points, to sneak home by 0.22pts.

It was Fagan's second win in two rounds of the new ANZ Northland Shearing Championship, a teams competition among selections from each of the shows in the North, he and four-time Warkworth open winner Osborne having been first and second a week earlier at Kaikohe.

Third in the final in Warkworth was 70-year-old Ralph Smith, qualifying ahead of two others and who had already shorn in the veterans final won by fellow Northland competitions stalwart Neil Sidwell.

Stefan van Oorschot, of Te Akau, successfully defended the senior title he won last year, and then headed for Rotorua where he finished fifth in another senior final, made up of most of the best senior shearers in the North Island this season.

Courtney Flower, of Dargaville, won the intermediate event, turning the tables on regular northern shows competitor Alan Boler, of Wellsford, who a week earlier at Kaikohe scored at least his sixth win in the grade.

The junior winner was Kevin Welch, of Snells Beach, who does only one or two shows in the region each year and who is a brother of world two-stand ewes record-holder Sam Welch. He turned the tables on Ruawai's Hazel Wood, who beat him in last year's event at Warkworth.

With novice and veterans events, Warkworth attracted 26 shearers across the grades.

Results were:
Open (15 sheep): Jack Fagan (Te Kuiti) 13min 16sec, 47.93pts, 1; Neville Osborne (Dargaville) 11min 55sec, 48.15pts, 2; Ralph Smith (Dargaville) 18min 51sec, 65.61pts, 3.
Senior (8 sheep): Stefan van Oorschot (Te Akau) 9min 49sec, 41.7sec, 1; Dan Berger (Ahuroa) 9min 51sec, 42.8pts, 2; Lee Cheyne (Waitarimu) 10min 30sec, 44.12pts, 3.
Intermediate (4 sheep): Courtney Flower (Dargaville) 5min 52sec, 30.85pts, 1; Alan Boler (Wellsford) 5min 56sec, 32.8pts, 2.
Junior (3 sheep): Kevin Welch (Snells Beach) 5min 55sec, 37.41pts, 1; Hazel Wood (Ruawai) 7min 55sec, 37.75pts, 2.
Novice (2 sheep): Danielle Boyd (Dargaville 6min 50sec, 35pts, 1; Hannah Titford (Puhoi) 6min 5sec, 53.25pts, 2; William Titford (Puhoi) 6min 35sec, 56.75pts, 3.
Veterans (3 sheep): Neil Sidwell (Kaukapakapa) 4min 37sec, 27.18pts, 1; Barry Jones (Pukekohe) 4min 50sec, 27.83pts, 2; Ralph Smith (Dargaville) 5min 11sec, 27.89pts, 3.