Grainger beats Mutch at Ohura

Te Kuiti shearer Mark Grainger got a significant confidence boost when he won the Open final at the Ohura Sports Shears.

Grainger won by a tenth-of-a-point from former World and Golden Shears champion, Scotsman and Whangamomona farmer Gavin Mutch, the most-favoured competitor to stop New Zealand taking a third World individual title in a row at this year’s World Championships in France.

Mutch won the race, finishing the 15 sheep in 13min 4sec and beating Grainger by 26 seconds, but the King Country gun had clearly the best quality in the pen-judging.

Although missing such shearers as Hawke’s Bay’s reigning Golden Shears champion and 2017 World Champion Rowland Smith and reigning World champion John Kirkpatrick, both at the Southern Shears in Gore, the Ohura Shears attracted a strong field of 15, among 50 shearers across the four grades.

All three other finals were fought-out by leading hopes for the Golden Shears in Masterton at the end of next week (February 28-March 2), with Alex Smith, of Rakai, winning by almost 2pts from Napier’s Ricci Stevens in the Senior final, former Golden Shears Junior champion Mark Ferguson, of Elsthorpe, winning by 0.75pts from Mangamahu Valley shearer Daniel Biggs in the Intermediate final, and Topia Barrowcliffe, of Piopio, winning the Junior final by tenth of a point from prolific winner Atawhai Hadfield, of Ruakituri.

Most of the shearers now face a busy three-days before the Golden Shears, with the Taumarunui Shears tomorrow(Friday), the Apiti Sports Shears on Saturday and the Pahiatua Shears on Sunday.

RESULTS from the Ohura Sports Shears on Saturday, February 16, 2019:

Open final (15 sheep): Mark Grainger (Te Kuiti) 13min 30sec, 47.7667pts, 1; Gavin Mutch (Scotland/Whangamomona) 13min 4sec, 47.8667pts, 2; James Ruki (Te Kuiti) 15min 8sec, 53.8667pts, 3; Darren Alexander (Whangamomona/Havelock North) 15min 11sec, 54.4833pts, 4.

Senior final (10 sheep): Alex Smith (Rakaia) 12min 26sec, 46.1pts, 1; Ricci Stevens (Napier) 11min 11sec, 48.05pts, 2; Jayden Mainland (Wellsford) 11min 56sec, 50.3pts, 3; Flynn Harvey 11min 31sec, 50.35pts, 4.

Intermediate final (5 sheep): Mark Ferguson (Elsthorpe) 8min 21sec, 32.65pts, 1; Daniel Biggs (Mangamahu Valley) 7min 36sec, 33.4pts, 2; Reuben Alabaster (Taihape) 8min 3sec, 33.55pts, 3; Mitchell Menzies (Amberley) 8min 12sec, 33.8pts, 4.

Junior final (3 sheep): Topia Barrowcliffe (Piopio) 6min 44sec, 20.8667pts, 1; Atawhai Hadfield (Ruakituri) 6min 6sec, 20.9667pts, 2; Levi King (Gisborne) 6min 54sec, 24.3667pts, 3; Mathew Smith (Otorohanga) 7min 45sec, 26.25pts, 4.

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