First to win Shears titles in both shearing and wollhandling

Uni graduate Higgins makes Golden Shears history

A Lincoln University graduate who took up shearing to go and see the World created a piece of shearing sports history when she won the Novice shearing final at the end of the opening day of the 55th Golden Shears in Masterton today.

Sarah Higgins, 22, from Havelock, in Marlborough, added the title to the Junior woolhandling title she won two years ago.

She is the first person to win Golden Shears titles in both shearing and woolhandling in the 31 championships since woolhandling was added to the World’s greastest shearing festival’s programme in 1985.

Higgins said she never thought she would “go back to the sheds” after her two years at Lincoln, which ended with a B.Com in agriculture.

She’s worked in the woolsheds in “Uni” holidays to help bay the bills during the year, but wirth some success in shearing sports competitions behind her and the scroll tucked safely in her kit, she took woolhandling up fulltime last year, going to the UK and to Australia

Woolhandling, as is so often the case, led to learning to shear.

“I saw it as a great way to see the World,” she said after the win today, in an event where there was some anticipation of something perhaps even more historic at the other end of the shearing board.

On Stand 2, she shore her two sheep in 7min 28.401sec, but was onlt third to finish – 1min 8sec after tiny 11-year-old Rueben Alabaster, of Taihape.

The top semi-final qualifier from 40 who contested the heats, he shore on Stand 6 in the big showdown, the youngest ever to contest a Golden Shears final, and he beat them all in the race - first to finish in 6min 20.17sec.

Higgins however had the better quality, and ultimately won by almost three points from runner-up Taiawhio Wati, of Dargaville. Alabaster had to settle for fourth place.

Higgins, who works with partner and Junior shearing hopeful Robert Hubber for Palmer Bros, Dipton, was quick to thank some of her mentors, including veteran Marlborough shearer Chris Jones who gave her the comb which has become her favourite in shearing competitions, and South Island-based Scotsman, shearing trainer and 1994 World champion shearer Tom Wilson, who had “looked after” her gear in recdent days.

It was her third novice win of the season, after previous victories at Winton and Gore, and she will graduate to Junior class next season.

She has, however, also a chance of making further history, by qualifying in third place forSaturday’s Senior woolhandling semi-finals.

As for how long she’ll keep competing before putting the degree to the uses for which it was originally intended, she said: Don’t know. Until I stop making finals.”

Result of the Golden Shears Novice Shearing 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; Rueben 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.

http://www.goldenshears.co.nz/the-2015-event/2015-press/

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