Sweet 16 For Shearing Legend

Saturday March 7 2009

Sweet 16 For Shearing Legend

David Fagan has done it again. The 47-year old titan of shearing has won the Golden Shears Open Shearing Championship tonight for the 16^th time in an unprecedented display of shearing virtuosity.

“I still don’t believe this I really don’t. Holy hell. I don’t know what to say…sweet 16, what do you reckon?” he told a buzzing crowd.

The 5-times world champ fought off a talented field of younger shearers led by fast Napier gun Dion King to take home the coveted title.

The nearest a shearer has come to such an achievement is Brian King who won six Golden Shears Opens between 1965 and 1972.

Fagan was genuinely moved by the win when he took the board to receive his champion’s sash and trophy.

“Sweet 16. I’ve been waiting to say that for a few years.”

“It was one of the more memorable ones…along with number 10, that was pretty good too. Yeah, sweet 16.”

The TAB had Fagan at number 4 on the card just prior to the event and that must had been a red rag to a bull.

The hard fought contest began with a strong showing from King who looked determined to take back the title he won in 2006.

The field shore in beautiful unison on the first sheep, swinging into the long blow and up the spine together, with King breaking away after the last leg to be first back in the pen for sheep two.

Wanganui’s Jerome McCrea was a quick second and commentator Koro Mullins was impressed by his fast pace.

“He’s going to put the H back in Wanganui,” he said.

King and McCrea maintained their slight lead with McCrea first to sheep five then King to the sixth.

But the old hand had been biding his time and jumped King on the seventh sheep, showing he still had something to prove.

Fagan dominated the mid section of the competition as the shearers dug in for last 10 sheep in the 20 sheep contest.

“Don’t breath people, the shearers need all the oxygen,” Mullins said.

Meanwhile former Open finalist Dean Ball began to fly a flag from Stand 6, the big-shouldered pig Hunter from Te Kuiti picking up the pace.

King came back at Fagan to be first to sheep 10 and was first again to 11, having shorn 10 sheep in just 7.57 minutes.

Whangamomona-based Scotsman Gavin Mutch plugged away an animal behind and the current World Champ, Stratford’s Paul Avery, was his usual careful self at Stand 4, shearing calmly on for the quality points.

Fagan was just a few blows behind King as they took to sheep 12 and gradually gained the upper hand making it first to 13, then 14.

King answered with a furious shear through sheep 14 and made it first to 15, where he switched to a fresh hand piece.

Fagan switched to a new steel himself between 16 and 17 and began to turn on the speed.

But King didn’t want to be caught and looked to be widening the gap between himself and Fagan as the crowed roared.

He was first again to sheep 19 and again to the 20^th but the titan would not be trounced and Fagan flew into the final blows to finish first with a time of just 15.56.96 minutes.

King was next, followed by Ball then McCrea, Avery and Mutch.

After the quality judging Fagan retained his top spot with 58.098 points, just beating Avery with 58.607.

Ball was close behind with 58.832 and Mutch next with 59.116.

McCrea came in with 61.290 points at fifth place and the speedster King finished sixth with 62.720 points.

Avery also picked up the trophy for top quality points in the open final.

ENDS

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