Golden Shears winner: Happy to make the Top 30 next year

Golden Shears winner: Happy to make the Top 30 next year

Masterton shearer Ethan Pankhurst realised a dream when he won the Golden Shears Senior shearing final in Masterton on Saturday.

But he knows it could be years before the dream - becoming an open-class shearer next season - includes anything like the success of the last five months in which he has won 12 finals.

He said in Masterton’s War Memorial Stadium on Saturday he wanted to win 10 wins before going up to the glamour Open class where he knows he could be waiting several yesars before he starts winning again.

“I wanted to win 10, that was my goal,” he said, confirming the job’s not finished yet, as he prepares for the season-ending events, including the New Zealand Championships in Te Kuiti next month.

The 23-year-old is aware that even the best of Senior shearers over the years have had to serve an apprenticeship in the top grade, and he will be happy enough at Golden Shears next year just to qualify past the first round in the Open championship.

“I’d like to have a go at the Top 30 Shootout,” he said.

Pankhurst, who decided to go fulltime shearing after a year at Lincoln College, is in his fourth competition season, and has already shorn 64 finals in New Zealand, winning four in the junior grade in 2011-12, including the Otago Shears in Balclutha, 10 as an intermediate the next season, including the Southern Shears in Gore, three as a senior last season, including the New Zealand Corriedale Championship in Christchurch, and now 12 this season, including the New Zealand Spring Shears in Waimate and again at the Southern Shears.
A Wairarapa College old boy and the son of Masterton farmer and former Golden Shears lower grades finalist BVruce Pankhurst, Pankhurst had huge support from the rest of the family, with mum Trudy up from Waikouaiti along with others from the South Island.

He was comfortably top qualifier for today’s final in which he was charge throughout the 12-sheep contest, finishing in 13min 32.46sec, about 26 seconds quicker than second placegetter Cody Beck, of Taumarunui. Pankhurst, however, matched speed with skill, and also had the best quality points to win by a comfortable 4.407pts.

Pankhurst says he may pick up the studies again one day, but is enjoying shearing and the travel too much.

He’s off for a third season in the UK, and has hopes of shearing in North America next year.

Third today was Bevan Pere, of Gisborne, followed by Robert Mudgway, of Taihape, first-year senior Dylan McGruddy, also of Masterton, and 2011 Golden Shears Junior champion Michael Rolston, of Levin.

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

ENDS

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