Mataura shearer wins open shears final at weekend
Mataura shearer Brett Roberts can add another win to his belt after scoring first place at the Mayfield Agricultural and Pastoral Show open shears final over the weekend.
It is Roberts’ first win in over a year. The 30-year-old won the national full wool championship at the Northern Southland Community Shears in January 2023 but had not been able to attain a first placing since then.
Roberts had been busy in the lead-up to his win on March 9. He made a return to the Golden Shears in Masterton on March 2 and won a podium placing alongside fellow Wyndham shearer Nathan Bee. He has also participated in 16 more shearing finals, which included three-second place awards and three third-place awards.
It took Roberts 18 minutes 43 seconds to shear more than 20 sheep and claim first place in the four-man final on Saturday, beating Lionel Taumata of Gore, by 16 seconds. Taumata was then beaten out of second place by Pleasant Point shearer Ant Frew, who had better-quality points, and was demoted to third place.
More Southland shearers claimed senior and intermediate titles at the Mayfield A&P show, with Bee receiving senior honours and fellow Mataura shearer Cody Waihape winning the intermediate final.
The show also saw English shearer Sam Wilson have his first win in New Zealand in the junior final. Taumarunui’s Renne Tarrant and 15-year-old Tye Meikle of Oāmaru also got placings in the Junior category.
Four more competitions remain in the South Island for the season, starting with the Methven Landshears on March 16, the Flaxbourne A&P Show on March 24 at Ward and the Oxford Show on March 30.
New Zealand Lambs championship titles will also be up for grabs at the Mackenzie A&P Show on Easter Monday.