It’s all about the ribbon, says winner
The cash is donated to suicide prevention causes, writes
Porangahau shearer Anaru Wakefield exemplified the spirit of competition shearing andsomeother sports after winning the senior shearing title at the Central Hawke’s BayAandP Show’s shearing and woolhandling championships in Waipukurau this month.
Wakefield, whoruns his ownlifestyle block shearing business, put the envelope with themoneyback in the hand ofbemusedshow president and shearing competition convener David Poulton, and said hewasonly interested in “the ribbon”, and to donate the prizemoney it to suicide prevention causes.
Shearing SportsNew Zealand chairman Sir David Fagan wasn’t at the show, but wasn’t “completely” surprised, saying that with a fifth of the shows on the national shearing sports calendar cancelled because of the Covid crisis shearers and woolhandlers “just want to get out there and compete and enjoy the time together”.
Consequently, there had been encouraging signs in the entry numbers, with 107 having competed across the grades on Saturday— fromas far afield as Invercargill and Northland.
Lastmonththe Great Raihania Shears at theHawkes BayAandP Showhad a show record of 137 entries.
Itwas close for Wakefield as hewonhis final by just 0.75pts from runner-up Masterton shearer Kyle Mita.
Itwas one of three wins for Hawke’s Bay competitors, the other two being a boost for Napier family shearing operation Puna Shearing.
Jasmin Tipokiwonthe senior woolhandling final, and open-class shearer Paraki Punawonthe novice woolhandling, beating 11-yearold brother Waiari, whohad been awarded the honours at the prizegiving ceremony only to learn momentslater that there had been an error and hewasactually runner-up.
His sister, Ataneta, was third in the open woolhandling final.
Meanwhile, Pongaroa shearer and farmer David Buick again threw out the challenge to his fellow shearing elite with a crushing win over former world and Golden Shears champions John Kirkpatrick and Gavin Mutch in winning the open shearing title, with consummate class.
Averaging a tick over 49 seconds a sheep caught, shorn and dispatched in the fourmanfinal of 20 sheep each and finishing in 16min 23sec, Buick beat nearest challenger Kirkpatrick, of Pakipaki, by morethan a sheep and ahalf.
Healso had the best points in both board and pen judging to win by the wide margin of 4.3pts, with another 5.2pts to Mutch, the Scottish international formerly based
Golden Shears and former world champion Joel Henare, made it three-fromthree in the season’s East Coast and Hawke’s Bay open woolhandling finals.
in Taranaki butnowmanaging a farmnear Dannevirke.
NewZealand representativeBuick’s triumphwas anear-repeat of his win by 4.4pts at the Hawke’s Bay show’s Great Raihania Shears in Hastings last month, and evenmore significant for itmadehim the first open shearer to win two finals this season, at the expense of two recentNew Zealand title winners.
KirkpatrickwontheNew Zealand Spring Shears final at Waimate last month, and MutchwontheNewZealand Corriedale title at the Canterbury Shears on November6, while fourth finalist Paerata Abrahamis a formerPGGWrightsonWool National Circuit winner.
The winning run of Masterton shearerAdam Gordon, victorious at all five previous competitions northand-south this season, cameto an endwhenhewasbeaten by hisownbrother, Joseph, in the intermediate final, by almost 5pts, while therewas success big-time for the lone Taihape competitors on the day, with Josh Devane winning his first Junior titles and Ben Cripps the Novice title.
Golden Shears and former World champion Joel Henare, madeit three-from-three in the season’s East Coast and Hawke’s Bay open woolhandling finals, and the junior woolhandling final provided a first win for Rahera Kerr, of Hauturu.
Results from the Central Hawke’sBayAandPShow Shears at Waipukurauon Saturday, November14, 2020:
Shearing: Openfinal (20 sheep): David Buick (Pongaroa) 16min 23sec, 60.05pts, 1; John Kirkpatrick (Pakipaki) 17min 43sec, 64.35pts, 2; Gavin Mutch (Scotland/Dannevirke) 18min 10sec, 69.55pts, 3; Paerata Abraham (Masterton) 18min 30sec, 70.75pts, 4.
Senior final (10 sheep): Anaru Wakefield (Porangahau) 13min 32sec, 48.3pts, 1; Kyle Mita (Masterton) 11min 49sec, 49.05pts, 2; Jayden Mainland (Wellsford) 11min 30sec, 49.6pts, 3; PaulSwann (Wairoa) 11min 59sec, 53.05pts, 4.
Intermediate final (6 sheep): Joseph Gordon (Masterton) 9min 54sec, 42.0333pts, 1; AdamGordon (Masterton) 10min 28sec, 46.9pts, 2; Matene Munday (Waipukurau) 10min 3sec, 48.9833pts, 3; Luke Daysh (Eketahuna) 10min 39sec, 60.6167pts, 4.
Junior final (3 sheep): Josh Devane (Taihape) 7min 31sec, Michael Buick (Pongaroa) 10min 21sec, 44.3833pts, 2; Lachie Crafar (Halcombe) 9min 14sec, 51.0333pts, 3; Samantha Baxter (Pongaroa) 10min 51sec, 57.55pts, 4.
Novice (1 sheep): Ben Cripps (Taihape) 3min 51sec, 36.55pts, 1; Wirepa Walker (Waipukurau) 4min 23sec, 39.15pts, 2; Shaun Kohinga (Te Kuiti) 3min 27sec, 42.35pts, 3; SamMathewson (-) 5min 55sec, 44.75pts, 4.
Woolhandling: Openfinal: Joel Henare (Gisborne) 62.2pts, 1; Keryn Herbert (Te Kuiti) 87.4pts, 2; Ataneta Puna (Napier) 102.2pts, 3; AmyLee Ferguson
(Invercargill) 114pts, 4. Senior final: Jasmin Tipoki (Napier) 83.2pts, 1; Sarah Davis (Rerewhakaaitu) 86pts, 2; Azuredee Paku (Masterton) 97.8pts, 3; Vinniye Phillips (Taumarunui) 101.2pts, 4. Junior final: Rahera Kerr (Hauturu) 73.8pts, 1; Te Whetu Brown (Wairoa) 87pts, 2; ShaniaHema(Takapau) 89.6pts, 3; AmyBell (Weber) 92.2pts, 4.
Novice: Paraki Puna (Napier) 91.2pts, 1; Waiari Puna (Napier) 98.6pts, 2; Helen Hughes (Taumarunui) 117pts, 3.