Scotsman wins Golden Shears Open final

MEDIA RELEASE

From Doug Laing, media officer, Shearing Sports New Zealand

March 8, 2015

A Thistle in their side – Scotsman wins Golden Shears Open final

A Scotsman who settled in New Zealand to farm in Taranaki has become the first shearer from overseas to win the Golden Shears Open Shearing Championship.

Gavin Mutch, 35, won the title title last night (Saturday) on the same stage in Masterton where he won the World Championships final in 2012, bringing fame both to Huntly in Aberdeenshire and New Zealand’s Forgotten Highway hamlet of Whangamomona.

Wife Pip and their children watched the internet livestreaming from home in Taranaki, others were watching the history-making 55th Golden Shears Open final over breakfast about 20,000km away, among a worldwide viewing audience of several thousand, and abouyt 1600 packed Masterton’s War Memorial Stadium.

The win ushered in a new era of open shearers after legendary Te Kuiti shearer David Fagan was eliminated in the semi-finals, in what was to have been a bid for a 17th and final Golden Shears Open title before retiring next month.

Mutch said Fagan had stopped a lot of other great shearer from achieving the ultimate goal in World shearing, and he was glad to have won before the 53-year-old Fagan retired.

The 2010 winner, Cam Ferguson, of Waipawa, was also ousted in the semi-finals, leaving a unique field comprising just one former winner, Hastings shearer Dion King, and including three newcomers – Feilding shearers Aaron Haynes and Murray Henderson and Southlander Murray Henderson.

It was the first time since 2002 that there had not been at least two former winners, and the number of first-time Golden Shears Open finalists in the six-man field was the most since there were also three newcomers in 1983.

Amazingly, the six finalists had won just four competitions between them this season, Mutch winning two of them.

After the elimination of Fagan and Ferguson, the winners of 18 finals between them this season, the pace in the final was expected to be a battle between Mutch and King, and possibly the unheralded 30-year-old Pyper, who ultimately was to emerge as a serious hope of being the first South Island shearer to win the title since 1989.

The lead see-sawed mainly between King and Pyper, on stands one and two, King ultimately claiming the ascendancy to finish first in 17min 36.835sec, almost losing his last sheep over the front side of the board instead of through the porthole.

He beat Pyper by 10 seconds, Mutch by 20, and the fast-finishing surprise packet Haynes, who was next to finish in 18min 4.407sec.

Few were prepared to pick the ultimate outcome while judges calculated pen quality points, and ultimately Mutch, scoring well in quality points but still not the best, had done enough to win by just 0.596pts from Haynes, in what was a particularly close finish all-round.

Mutch’s 65.174 penalty points compared with the 65.979pts of third placegetter and Invercargill shearer Nathan Stratford, who achieved his best result in six Golden Shears Open finals by finishing third He carded the best quality points.

King, the 2006 winner and in the final for a 9th time, was 4th, followed by Henderson and Pyper.

Mutch first reached the Golden Shears Open final in 2005 and tonight’s was his 6th, the best previous results having been two 4th placings.

In other major events on the final night, Australia scored a fourth consecutive Transtasman shearing test win over New Zealand, and edged in front at 29-28 in the number of tests won in matches between the two countries since the Transtasman series began in 1974-75. On Friday night, Australia had also won a woolhandling test match.

Rakaia shearer Tony Coster reclaimed the honour of being New Zealand’s top all-wools shearer by winning the PGG Wrightson National Circuit final, in which Mutch was 4th, while 23-year-old Joel Henare, of Gisborne, won his third consecutive Golden Shears Open woolhandling title.

The end of the night was chocked with emotion, as Fagan was honoured on stage to a standing ovation marking the end of a Golden Shears career spanning 35 years.

He then presented the trophies to the new kilted champion, who in an ironic twist wins a place in the New Zealand team to shear against Australia next season..

This time, tears of emotion welled as the National Anthem of Scotland was played to honour his success at a championships of the 22 titles decided the first and the last both went to Scotland.

On Thursday Lanarkshire lassie Claire Wilson’s novice Woolhandling win was Scotland’s first New Zealand Golden Shears title since senior shearer Doug Lambie’s win in 1990.

In other on Saturday, Masterton’s Ethan Pankhurst won the senior shearing final, the intermediate final was won by 2013 Junior champion Marshall Guy, of Kaeo, and Ash Jones, of Wales, won Saturday’s Junior final.

The senior woolhandling title was won by Stevie Mason-Smallman, of Taihape, and the junior woolhandling final was won by Chiquita Tamepo, who lives in Milton but is from Tikitiki, on the East Coast north of Gisborne.

Results from the 55th Golden Shears International Shearing and Woolhandling Championships at the War Memorial Stadium in Masterton on Thursday-Saturday, March 5-7, 2015:

International:

Shearing:

Lister Shearing Transtasman Shearing Test (6 merinos, 3 long wool, 3 second-shear): Australia 260.679pts (Shannon Warnest 17min 27.593sec, 79.38pts; Daniel McIntyre 17min 10.33sec, 87.017pts; Damien Boyle 18min 43.973sec, 94.382pts) beat New Zealand 281.845pts (Nathan Stratford 17min 57.002sec, 87.8pts; Colin O’Neill 17min 41.777sec, 96.255pts; David Buick 18min 26.46sec, 97.99pts).

Elders Primary Wool Transtasman Wool Handling Test (four merino fleeces, four lambs):Australia (Sarah Moran, Tara Smith) 400.022pts, beat New Zealand (Ronnie Goss, Keryn Herbert) 501.488pts.

Golden Shears championships:

Shearing

Golden Shears Open final (20 sheep): Gavin Mutch (Scotland/Whangamomona) 17min 56.478sec, 65.174pts, 1; Aaron Haynes (Feilding) 18min 4.407sec, 65.77pts, 2; Nathan Stratford (Invercargill) 18min 24.572sec, 65.979pts, 3; Dion King (Hastings) 17min 36.835sec, 66.792pts, 4; Murray Henderson (Feilding) 19min 45.604sec, 70.53pts, 5; Troy Pyper (Invercargill) 17min 46.616sec, 73.881pts, 6.

National Championship:

PGG Wrightson National Circuit final 3 merino, 3 long wool, 3 halfbreds, 3 second-shear, 3 lambs):

Tony Coster (Rakaia) 18min 37.253sec, 77.263pts, 1; Cam Ferguson (Waipawa) 19min 14.733sec, 80.937pts, 2; Nathan Stratford (Invercargill) 19min 12.199sec, 81.61pts, 3; Gavin Mutch (Scotland/Whangamomona) 18min 14.793sec, 82.14pts, 4; David Buick (Pongaroa) 19min 28.889sec, 85.444pts, 5; Aaron Haynes (Feilding) 20min 19.094sec, 85.444pts, 6.

Senior final (12 sheep): Ethan Pankhurst (Masterton) 13min 32.46sec, 50.123pts, 1; Cody Beck (Taumarunui) 14min 18.948sec, 54.53pts, 2; Bevan Pere (Gisborne) 15min 25.854sec, 57.96pts, 3; Robert Mudgway (Taihape) 16min 8.196sec, 59.66pts, 4; Dylan McGruddy (Masterton) 15min 31.285sec, 62.148pts, 5; Michael Rolston (Levin), 16min 7.879sec, 62.728pts, 6.

Intermediate final 8 sheep): Marshall Guy (Kaeo) 11min 45.693sec, 45.035pts, 1; Kaleb Foote (Waikaretu) 11min 20.666sec, 46.283pts, 2; Michael Herlihy (Matiere) 11min 29.835sec, 48.992pts, 3; Marley Waihape (Mataura) 12min 29.781sec, 51.364pts, 4; Elgan Jones (Wales) 12min 52.621sec, 56.631pts, 5; Nick Greaves (England) 13min 10.95sec, 58.173pts, 6.

Junior final (5 sheep): Ash Jones (Llangollen, Wales) 9min 28.429sec, 37.421pts, 1; Robert Hubber (Dipton) 9min 55.052sec, 38.153pts, 2; Tui Wilton (Masterton) 9min 17.036sec, 38.452pts, 3; Connor Puha (Kimbolton) 10min 6.538sec, 40.527pts, 4; Laura Bradley (Woodville) 10min 27.998sec, 40.6pts, 5; Emily Te Kapa (Clianlarich, Scotland) 11min 54.428sec, 43.121pts, 6.

Novice final (2 sheep): Sarah Higgins (Havelock) 7min 28.401sec, 32.42pts, 1; Taiawhio Wati (Dargaville) 6min 32.151sec, 35.108pts, 2; Cody Greig (Levin) 9min 18.21sec, 36.911pts, 3; Reuben Alabaster (Taihape) 6min 20.17sec, 38.009pts, 4; Bailey Rush (Kimbolton) 9min 29.395sec, 41.47pts, 5; Sarah Edmonds (Masterton) 10min 26.281sec, 66.314pts, 6.

Veterans final (2 sheep): Peter McCabe (Tauranga) 3min 45.387sec, 23.269pts, 1; Ralph Smith (Dargaville) 3min 59.932sec, 25.497pts, 2; Richard Pearson (Carterton) 3min 18.589sec, 25.93pts, 3; Hugh McCarroll (Whangamata) 4min 21.464sec, 30.073pts, 4; Phillip Woodward (Tuakau) 3min 26.523sec, 32.326pts, 5; Neil Sidwell (Kaukapakapa) 3min 33.568sec, 41.178pts, 6.

Maori-Pakeha Teams Event: Casey Bailey (Madsterton) and David Buick (Pongaroa), 73.505pts, 1; Tama Niania (Gisborne) and Jack Fagan (Te Kuiti), 74.783pts, 2; Jimmy Samuels (Marton) and Doug Smith (Napier) 79.411pts, 3.

Speedshear:

Open: Paerata Abraham (Masterton) 23.84sec, 1; Darin Forde (Lornville) 24.4sec, 2.

Senior: Alun Lloyd Jones (Wales) 26.9sec, 1; Scott Wilson (Scotland) 27.1sec, 2.

Woolhandling:

Open final (6 long wool, 4 second shear): Joel Henare (Gisborne) 196.466pts, 1; Sheree Alabaster (Taihape) 293.13pts, 2; Ronnie Goss (Mangamahu Valley) 307.08pts, 3; Anita Phillips (Taumarunui) 388.226pts, 4.

Senior final (4 long wool): Stevie Mason-Smallman (Taihape) 152.74pts, 1; Erana Smith (Ruatoria/Hastings) 157.24pts, 2; Adrienne Samuels (Marton) 166.674pts, 3; Ana Braddick (Eketahuna) 170.74pts, 4.

Junior final (4 long wool): Chiquita Tamepo (Tikitiki) 117.312pts, 1; Sam Tipene (Eketahuna) 127.946pts, 2; Ash Boyce (Dannevirke) 141.04pts, 3; Peketai Puna (Napier) 157.04pts, 4.

Novice final (1 long wool): Claire Wilson (Biggar, Scotland) 99.6pts, 1; Chynna Haney (Eketahuna) 102pts, 2; Bianca Hawea (Masterton) 109pts, 3; Hazel Wood (Ruawai) 136pts, 4.

North Island Circuit open final: Sheree Alabaster (Taihape) 170.366pts, 1; Logan Kamura (Marton) 174.21pts, 2; Keryn Herbert (Te Awamutu) 176.478pts, 3; Emaraina Braddick (Eketahuna) 231.58pts, 4.

Woolpressing:

Men’s final: Jeremy Goodger (Masterton) 37.8pts, 1; Ronnie Eriha (Hastings) 48.9pts, 2.

Women’s final: Fiona Healey (Masterton) 50.25pts, 1; Cushla Abraham (Masterton) 64.5pts, 2.

Pairs final: Willie Kilioni and Conan Gray (Masterton) 51pts, 1; Vinnie and James Goodger (Masterton) 70pts, 2.

Triathlon (shearing, woolhandling, woolpressing heats points): Jonothan Hicks (Marton) 173.18pts, 1; Carmen Smith (Pongaroa) 195.96pts, 2; Cushla Abraham (Masterton) 213.453pts, 3.

YFC Events

Blue Ribbon Open Shearing final (6 sheep): Aaron Haynes (Feilding) 7min 8.348sec, 32.417pts, 1; Ethan Pankhurst (Masterton) 7min 48.747sec, 33.771pts, 2; Corey Palmer (Dipton) 7min 47.412sec, 3; Jack Fagan (Te Kuiti) 6min 58.388sec, 34.919pts, 4; Lachie Baynes (Wairoa) 8min 20.645sec, 36.032pts, 5; Jimmy Samuels (Marton) 7min 59.992sec, 36.167pts, 6.

Teams shearing and woolhandling (6 long wool): Tasman (shearers Ethan Pankhurst, Corey Smith; woolhandlers Sarah Higgins, Samantha Gordon) 277.497pts, 1; Southland (shearers Corey Palmer, Linton Palmer; woolhandlers Chiquita Tamepo, Jayden Pattison) 294.977pts, 2; Manawatu (shearers Aaron Haynes, Cam Hicks; woolhandlers Connor Puha, Ngaira Puha) 368.119pts, 3.

ENDS

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