Everywhere man wins at Manawatu Shears

November 11, 2019

A win at last for everywhere-man David Buick

New Zealand representative David Buick notched his first win of the new shearing sports season with victory at the Manawatu Show in Feilding on Saturday.

It was just reward for the 41-year-old farmer from remote Pongaroa in Northern Wairarapa, becoming the current everywhere-man of New Zealand shearing.

In July he flew to the UK at a few hours’ notice to replace injured national team member Cam Ferguson for a test series in Wales and he’s now competed on all six weekends of the new season to date, as far afield as Warrnambool in Australia and Alexandra and Waimate in the South Island.

It won’t be slowing-down, with Buick crossing Cook Strait again for the New Zealand Corriedale Championships in Christchurch on Friday before heading back for the Central Hawke’s Bay A and P Show the next day in Waipukurau.

Saturday’s win was his 20th in an Open-class career now in its 18th season, and his 8th at the Manawatu show, dating back to the first in the Intermediate final in 1998, which he followed that season with Intermediate wins at the Golden Shears in Masterton and the New Zealand championships in Te Kuiti.

The Open titles at the two glamour events continue elude him, with a best of runner-up in the 2018 Golden Shears Open final, but he has claimed national Open lambshearing titles at Winton and the Mackenzie Shears in the South Island.

It was effectively a two-man race on Saturday with Buick shearing the 20 woolly ewes in 18min 7sec and pipping Scottish international and Whangamomona Gavin Mutch by barely a second before ultimately taking the win by just 0.65pts. Third was to Axle Reid, from Taihape.

Simon Goss, of Managmahu, returned to former home Manawato territory to win the Senior final in possibly the closest shearing result in any final, going to a second countback before claiming the victory from Eketahuna shearer Chris Dickson.

They were tied on total points and on pen points, Goss getting the nod with the best board result, by just 0.4pts. Dickson had had a 0.4pts advantage on time after finishing first in 11min 42sec.

Daniel Biggs, of Mangamahu, continued his domination of North Island Intermediate finals with a win by just 0.2pts over runner-up Tawera Brown, of Martinborough, Adam Gordon, of Masterton won the Junior final, and the Josh Devane, of Taihape, won the Novice event, in which Hawke’s Bay wool buyer Maureen Chaffey claimed her third consecutive Novice third-placing since winning the Woman and Wool Farmstrong Fundraiser at the Royal New Zealand Show in Hastings on October 25.

Marton woolhandler Logan Kamura showed he had lost none of his touch in a break from the woolsheds by winning the Open woolhandling final, his first since being runner-up in the 2018 New Zealand championships final.

It wasn’t easy, with Kamura beating former World champions Keryn Herbert, of Te Kuiti, and Wairarapa show winner Sheree Alabaster, of Taihape, while fourth and just missing a place in the final was Angelique Gage, who had won at her home show in Gisborne last month and the Great Raihania Shears title in Hastings six days later.

Tramon Campbell, of Gisborne, claimed the Senior woolhandling title, her second of the season, Vinniye Phillips, of Taumarunui, won the Junior final, and Topia Barrowcliff, of Piopio won the Novice event, as well as finishing third in the Junior shearing final.

The show attracted 52 entries in shearing events, including 25 in the Junior and Novice grades, and 26 in woolhandling events.

RESULTS from the Manawatu A and P Show shearing and woolhandling championships at Feilding on Saturday November 9, 2019:

Shearing:

Open final (20 sheep): David Buick (Pongaroa) 18min 7sec, 62.3pts, 1; Gavin Mutch (Scotland/Whangamomona) 18.8sec, 62.95pts, 2; Axle Reid (Taihape) 19min 46sec, 65.5pts, 3; Aaron Haynes (Palmerston North) 4; Murray Henderson (Halcombe) 5; Ryan Miller (Gisborne) 6.

Senior final (10 sheep): Simon Goss (Mangamahu) 11min 50sec, 46.6pts (2.4 board points), 1; Chris Dickson (Eketahuna) 11mi 42sec, 46.6pts (2.8 board points), 2; Kieran Devane (Taihape) 14min, 54.1pts, 3; Paora Moanaroa (Eketahuna) 4; Quelan Waitere (Wairoa) 5; Tamatea O’Connor (Gisborne) 6.

Intermediate final (5 sheep): Daniel Biggs (Mangamahu) 7min 37sec, 34.25pts, 1; Tawera Brown (Martinborough) 8min 9sec, 34.45pts, 2; Topia Barrowcliffe (Piopio) 7min 59sec, 37.75pts, 3; Matt Hunt (Waikaka) 4; Alex Hokianga (Hastings) 5.

Junior final (4 sheep): Adam Gordon (Masterton) 9min 14sec, 40.2pts, 1; Heath Barnsdall (Piopio) 11min 1sec, 48.05pts, 2; Reghan Ngarotata (Piopio) 8min 50sec, 48.25pts, 3; Kyle Rhodes (-) 4; Rameka Thwaites (Marton) 5; Jesse McIntyre (Hastings) 6.

Novice (1 sheep): Josh Devane (Taihape) 6min 12se, 31.6pts, 1; Michael Buick (Pongaroa) 5min 26sec, 38.3pts, 2; Maureen Chaffey (Maraekakaho) 6min 44sec, 40.2pts, 3; Benn Cripps (Wales) 7min 3sec, 46.15pts, 4; Haeora King (Matawai) 5min 49sec, 47.45pts, 5; Lachie Crafar (Kimbolton) 7min 13sec, 50.65pts, 6.

Woolhandling:

Open: Logan Kamura (Marton) 186.174pts, 1; Keryn Herbert (Te Kuiti) 190.016pts, 2; Sheree Alabaster (Taihape) 259.938pts, 3; Angelique Gage (Gisborne) 4; Ngaio Hanson (Eketahun) 5; Ronnie Goss (Mangamahu) 6.

Senior: Tramon Campbell (Gisborne) 178.13pts, 1; Lucky Garrett (Eketahuna) 195.044pts, 2; Bianca Hawea (Masterton) 225.72pts, 3; Summer Pritchard (Pongaroa) 4; Jasmin Tipoki (-) 5; Lucas Broughton (Gisborne) 6.

Junior: Vinniye Phillips (Taimarunui) 160.226pts, 1; Te Anna Phillips (Taumarunui) 152.31pts, 2; Lee Edmonds (Raetihi) 191.926pts, 3; Anne Cannell (Gisborne) 4; Ryley Paul (-) 5; Horiana Aranui (-) 6.

Novice: Topia Barrowcliffe (Piopio) 64.426pts, 1; Michael Buick (Pongaroa) 65.162pts, 2; Ngaongo Winikerei (-) 73.07pts, 3; Rameka Thwaites (Marton) 89.34pts, 4.

ENDS

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