Gisborne opens North Island shears season

Shear delight for the home town as Gisborne opens North Island shears season

It was a case of many happy returns to Gisborne for the two Open champions at the Poverty Bay A and P Show Shearing and Woolhandling Championships on Gisborne.

Originally from the East Coast but based in Hawke’s Bay for most of his 27 seasons of competition shearing, 2017 World champion shearer John Kirkpatrick, 49, was all composure and class as he won the Poverty Bay Open title for a 13th time, beating runner-up, defending champion and New Zealand representative David Buick, of Pongaroa, by a comfortable 2.4pts in a four-man final over 15 longwool sheep each.

But it was with “shock” that Angelique Gage, 37, greeted her Open woolhandling final win, back in home town Gisborne just five months after years away in the South Island and Australia, and competing in only her second final since winning the New Zealand Corriedale Championships at the Canterbury Show two years ago.

Home-show competitors picked-off two other woolhandling titles, with Tramon Campbell, 30, winning the Senior final, her second win in the grade, and Loghan Madoc the Novice final.

But visitors to the first North Island shearing sports show of the new season weren’t completely locked out, being headed by Simon Goss, brother of New Zealand women’s rugby star and former well-performed shearer Sarah Hirini (nee Goss), travelling from the family farm at Mangamahu, north of Whanganui, to win the Senior shearing final, after Daniel Biggs, also of Mangamahu, won the Intermediate event.

Masterton teenager Adam Gordon, who had an historic double triumph in winning the Golden Shears Novice shearing and woolhandling finals in Masterton last March, had his first win up-a-grade in Saturday’s Junior shearing final.

The Open finals were were special moments for both winners.

Kirkpatrick firstly paid tribute to events commentator Koro Mullins, of Dannevirke, who died suddenly last month. Mullins presence was missed at the show, Kirkpatrick said, and it would be missed at other shows. The role was taken-on on Saturday by Nuki Gordon, of Masterton, and Chris Runga, of Wairoa, while South Island commentator Norm Harraway is travelling to Hastings to take-on the role at the Great Raihania Shears at the Royal New Zealand Show on Friday.

Kirkpatrick also paid tribute to two others looking for someone to taken on a job, with brother and sister-in-law and Gisborne shearing contractors Ian and Beth Kirkpatrick calling for younger ones to run the Poverty Bay competition, the couple indicating their plans to do “a few other things”.

They’ve been the backbone of the competition since 2007, when they stepped-in after the passing of former stalwart Jamie Fleming.

“We went in blind, and others come in and do the work” said Ian Kirkpatrick. “Our committee was just me and my wife, but you’ve got to be passionate about it. We’ve enjoyed every minute of it.”

Having once been an air hostess and now studying for a future career in hospitality, and with son R.J., 9, and daughter Keisha, 6, along for the day at the show, Gage had never won at what she still regards as her home show.

“This one’s for Nan,” she said, recognising the late Tana Godbold who with husband Jim ran the shearing gangs with which Gage was introduced to the woolsheds around Gisborne more than 20 years ago.

Simon Goss was having his first Senior win, despite having promoted to the grade at the age of 18 more than four years ago and after 14 wins in the lower grades, and a second placing in the 2013 Golden Shears Intermediate final.

Having since completed four years qualifying as a diesel mechanic with hopes of a career in agricultural heavy machinery, he still has some shearing boxes to tick.

His mother and father were both Golden Shears champions, and asked about his own goals, he said: “The Goldies. Always the Goldies.”

Meanwhile, John Kirkpatrick will bypass a chance to win a fourth Great Raihania Shears title this week, both he and Buick crossing the Tasman this week as members of the New Zealand Shears competition team at top Australian crossbred championships the Warrnambool Shears next Saturday. Both are former winners of the Warrnambool title.

RESULTS from the Poverty Bay A and P Show shearing and woolhandling championships at Gisborne on Saturday, October 19, 2019:

Shearing:

Open final (15 sheep): John Kirkpatrick (Pakipaki) 13min 50sec, 48.367pts, 1; David Buick (Pongaroa) 13min 54sec, 50.767pts, 2; Cam Ferguson (Waipawa) 14min 29sec, 51.583pts, 3; James Ruki (Te Kuiti) 15min 23sec, 56.683pts, 4.

Senior final (8 sheep): Simon Goss (Mangamahu) 9min 25sec, 39pts, 1; Anaru Wakefield (Porangahau) 11min 29sec, 39.95pts, 2; Kyle Mita (Masterton) 10min 20sec, 452pts, 3; Kendrick Bradford (Whangamomona) 10min 33sec, 52.15pts, 4.

Intermediate final (5 sheep): Daniel Biggs (Mangamahu) 7min 51sec, 34.15pts, 1; Keith Swann (Wairoa) 8min 4sec, 35.8pts, 2; Koi Ngarangione (Gisborne) 8min 3sec, 37.15pts, 3; Topia Barrowcliffe (Piopio) 9min 29sec, 42.65pts, 4.

Junior final (3 sheep): Adam Gordon (Masterton) 6min 44sec, 33.867pts, 1; Heath Barnsdall (Piopio) 7min 9sec, 34.45pts, 2; Clay Harris (Piopio) 7min 23sec, 34.483pts, 3; Aiden Tarrant (Piopio) 7min 30sec, 42.167pts, 4.

Woolhandling:

Open final: Angelique Gage (Gisborne) 164.5pts, 1; Maryanne Baty (Gisborne) 176.5pts, 2; Keryn Herbert (Te Kuiti) 202pts, 3; Amy Lee Ferguson (Invercargill) 202.1pts, 4.

Senior final: Tramon Campbell (Gisborne) 126.2pts, 1; Azuredee Paku (Masterton) 138.7pts, 2; Lucas Broughton (Whanganui) 146.2pts, 3; Bianca Hawea (Masterton) 154.2pts, 4.

Junior final: Teanna Phillips (Taumarunui) 97.22pts, 1; Adam Gordon (Masterton) 107.1pts, 2; Tira Ngarangione (Gisborne) 117.7pts, 3; Vinniye Phillips (Taumarunui) 148.8pts, 4.

Novice final: Loghan Madoc (Gisborne) 66.736pts, 1; Anne Connell (-) 71.69pts, 2; Kendra Ngarangione (Gisborne) 74.874pts, 3; Juanita Rangiwai (Gisborne) 90.232pts, 4.

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