NZ Lambshearing Championships

Stratford nails lambshearing title - by 0.011 points

Southland shearer Nathan Stratford, had one of the closest calls in his 89 Open shearing wins when hr got home by jut 0.011pts in winning his first Mackenzie Highland A and P Show New Zealand Lambshearing Championships title on Easter Monday.

Twice the winner of the national crossbred lambs title in Winton, in 2014 and 2017, made the job just clean enough to beat Oamaru shearer Justin Meikle, who had a time points advantage of 1.689pts after finishing over half-a-minute quick and shearing the 20 seven-month lambs in 17m 38.42s.

Third place went to second-man-off Ant Frew, of Pleasant Point, the only survivor from the 2024 final, and a feature was the appearance of John Cherrington, of Oamaru, stepping straight from the senior grade to qualify for an Open final at his first attempt.

While Meikle had the fastest time, Stratford had the best board shearing points and Frew had the best points in judging in the pens.

Hawke’s Bay shearer Bruce Grace celebrated his last day in the lower grades in New Zealand with a Senior final win by 1.64pts over runner-up James Wilson, of Winton. It was Grace’s 9th win in the grade in New Zealand, including four in the South Island, and the crowning glory of a Golden Shears win in Masterton this season.

Meikle’s son, 17-year-old Tie, stepping up after 15 wins in the Junior grade, claimed an Intermediate victory at his first attempt, by 5.65pts from runner-up Darcy Tong, of Fairlie, and Golden Shears finalist Tamati Dennison, of Kurow, had his first Junior win, by more than 12pts from the second place-getter.

Show president Tony Dobbs won the Blades title for a 5th year in a row, but it was close with less than a point to runner-up Allan Oldfield, from Geraldine, as the two further cemented their places at the top of the table in a 2026 World championships New Zealand team selection series which resumes at the Waimate Spring Shears in October.

Despite the forecast for rain, a cold day and a three-week-gap since the last competition on March 29, and the departure of potential competitors for shearing opportunities overseas, Monday’s championships attracted 51 entries.

Dobbs said he was happy with the number of competitors overall and while he would have liked to see more than the 12 who entered the Open grade, it ended up with a well-contested final, as highlighted by the winning margin of barely one-hundredth of a point.

The field was an all-South Island based dozen, with defending champion and Southland shearer Leon Samuels not defending the title.

The Mackenzie Shears was the last event on the 2024-2025 Shearing Sports New Zealand calendar, with 58 shows held through the country since the start of October.

RESULTS from the Mackenzie Shears’ New Zealand Lamb Shearing Championships at the Mackenzie Highland A & P Show at Fairlie on Easter Monday, April 21, 2025:

Open final (20 lambs): Nathan Stratford (Invercargill) 18m 12.2s, 60.86pts, 1; Justin Meikle (Oamaru) 17m 38.42s, 60.871pts, 2; Ant Frew (Pleasant Point) 18m 33.34s, 61.967pts, 3; Lionel Taumata (Taumarunui/Gore) 18m 34.13s, 64.6065pts, 4; Duncan Leslie (Owaka) 17m 56.93s, 65.7965pts, 5; John Cherrington (Oamaru) 19m 40.18s, 66.109pts, 6.

Senior final (10 lambs): Bruce Grace (Wairoa) 12m 32.08s, 46.404pts 1; James Wilson (Winton) 13m 6.88s, 48.044pts, 2; Cody Waihape (Gore) 13m 29s, 49.15pts, 3; Liam Norrie (Cheviot) 14m, 50.7pts, 4; Emma Martin (Wyndham) 15m 37.18s, 53.059pts, 5; Richard Lancaster (Clitheroe, England) 14m 24.46s, 54.123pts, 6.

Intermediate final (5 lambs): Tye Meikle (Oamaru) 10m 27s, 43.95pts, 1’ Darcy Tong (Fairlie) 12m 12s, 49.6pts, 2; Isack Cleland (Oamaru) 10m 13s, 50.45pts, 3; Caleb Brooking (Mataura) 11m 22s, 51.7pts, 4; Myles White (Waimate) 11m 15s, 52.95pts, 5; Kyle Waihape (-) 11m 33s, 60.45pts, 6.

Junior final (3 lambs): Tamati Dennison (Kurow) 6m 31.85s, 31.2592pts, 1; Hanna Lawlor (-) 7m 36.46s, 43.823pts, 2; Jacob Booth (Waimate) 9m 6.5s, 52.325pts, 3; Joel McCone (Kurow) 7m 11.9s, 56.2617pts, 4; Brody Gallagher (Fairlie) 7m 38.81s, 61.2738pts, 5; Thomas Clarke (Kimbell) 6m 59.96s, 63.6647pts, 6.

Novice (1 lamb): Nick Meiklejohn (-) 3m 30s, 40.5pts, 1; Zac Schofield (Oamaru) 2m 31.13s, 43.5565pts, 2; Nya Kere Kere Gisborne) 3m 56.42s, 48.821pts, 3; Caden Hofman (Kurow) 3m 3s, 49.15pts, 4; Millie McNabb (Owaka) 4m 7.12s, 61.356pts, 5.

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