Mutch in line for Golden Shears
Whangamo¯mona shearer Gavin Mutch remains one of the front runners to take out the Golden Shears open title despite finishing runner-up for the eighth time since early January.
Mutch finished second to Rowland Smith at the Pahiatua Shears on Sunday as Smith rounded-off his preparation for the defence of the Golden Shears open title next weekend.
Mutch, the 2012 world champion, was runner-up for the eighth time since winning the Tauranga Shears, and reigning world champion John Kirkpatrick, of Napier, had his 13th top-three placing in a season which has yielded just one win.
But the gap is closing. Smith won by just 0.13 points and needed the better combination of quality points to beat Mutch, who shore the 20 sheep in 16 minutes 37.33 seconds.
Smith was first to finish by 15 seconds as the first five shearers all shore quicker than anyone in last year’s Pahiatua final.
Mutch, Smith and Kirkpatrick are expected to be the first three favourites for the Golden Shears open final when the TAB opens, in addition to a Smith v The Field option which opened almost a fortnight ago.
It was Smith’s second consecutive clean sweep of the pre-shears weekend treble.
Smith also won the Taumarunui Shears open title on Friday, and the Apiti Sports Shears open title on Saturday.
Smith, the 2014 World champion, won all three events last year before going to Masterton to win his fourth Golden Shears open title.
He has now won 36 open finals in New Zealand in a row.
His only blemish since the end of January 2017 being when he was a semi-final elimination at the Tauranga A&P Show six weeks ago.
The only change to calculation was the emergence of Smith’s fellow world record breaking brother Matthew, who was fourth on Sunday, home from England for a short time to receive his master shearer award at the Golden Shears.
Woodville shearer Tegwyn Bradley had his seventh win in his last eight finals to claim the senior title, by little more than a point from runner-up and Gorebased Lionel Taumata.
There was a winning margin of just 0.34pts in the intermediate final won by Brandon Maguire Ratima (Winton) beating French Golden Shears lower grades hope Jeremy Leygonie.
Reuben Alabaster, 14, scored his second win of the weekend and is a strong prospect to become the youngest to win the Golden Shears junior title.
RESULTS: Pahiatua Shears, Fouhy Family Farm Mangaone Valley, Sunday, February 25, 2018: Open final (20 sheep): Rowland Smith (Maraekakaho) 16min
55.73sec, 60.787pts, 1; Gavin Mutch (Scotland/Whangamomona)
16min 57.33sec, 60.917pts, 2; John Kirkpatrick (Napier) 17min
0.73sec, 63.737pts, 3; Matthew Smith (Ruswai/Cornwall, England) 16min 52.11sec, 64.206pts, 4; David Buick (Pongaroa) 17min
6.17sec, 64.259pts, 5; Murray Henderson (Halcombe)18min 46.9sec,
70.095pts, 6. Senior final (12 sheep): Tegwyn Bradley (Woodville) 13min 8.12sec, 50.406pts, 1; Lionel Taumata (Taumarunui/ Gore) 13min 19.27sec, 51.464pts, 2; Jade Maguire Ratima (Winton)
14min 0.63sec, 51.866pts, 3; David Gordon (Masterton) 13min
50.05sec, 52.153pts, 4; Ricci Stevens (Napier) 12min 48.57sec, 53.763pts,
5; Sean Gouk (Masterton) 13min
59.15sec, 54.458pts, 6. Intermediate final (8 sheep): Brandon Maguire Ratima (Winton) 11min 6.68sec,
39.334pts, 1; Jeremy Leygonie (France) 11min 0.36sec, 39.768pts, 2; Tawera Brown (Martinborough)
11min 49.69sec, 45.61pts, 3; Daniel Seed (Woodville) 11min 3.11sec,
46.906pts, 4; Paora Moanaroa (Eketahuna) 10min 19.61sec,
47.106pts, 5; Emily Te Kapa (Scotland) 11min 45.4sec, 47.52pts,
6. Junior final (5 sheep): Reuben Alabaster (Taihape) 10min 7.14sec,
40.157pts, 1; Jonathan Painter (Pahiatua) 10min 16.04sec,
40.802pts, 2; Matthew Smith (Otorohanga) 11min 16.07sec,
41.404pts, 3; Liam Pritchard (Pongaroa) 10min 48.12sec,
41.806pts, 4; Joseph Gordon (Masterton) 11min 47.87sec,
46.33pts, 5; Mark Baxter (Pongaroa) 11min 47.87sec,
57.394pts, 6.