Shearing Sports Battling The Odds In Covid-19 Crisis

The Southland Shears and national crossbred lambshearing and woolhandling championships will go ahead on January 15, despite the cancellation of the A and P Show.

That’s the promise of convener, Shearing Sports South Island chairman and Shearing Sports New Zealand deputy chairman Mike Hogan who says he is confident the championships can still be held in the pavilion at the Winton Racecourse with the appropriate steps in police to protect safety according to the conditions of the current Covid19 Level 2.

But it’s not good news for three other competitions in the New Year, with the cancellation of Kaikohe A P and H Show in the Far North and the Golden Bay A and P Show at Takaka, both of which werealso scheduled for January 15, along with the Murchison A and P Show, which was to have been held on February 19.

Hogan said stand-alone shearing and woolhandling competitions the Northern Southland Community Shears at Lumsden the previous day on January 14, the Otago Shears in Balclutha on February 12, and the Southern Shears in Gore on February 18-19 are also still going ahead.

Meanwhile, the Nelson A and P Show Shears will go ahead on Saturday, completing the 2021-2022 season’s pre-Christmas phase, which has seen the cancellation of 10 A and P show shearing sports events, from an original schedule of 17 championships through the country.

Among the cancellations were all seven competitions in the North Island where hopes are still that the season will get a start the shearing-only Wairoa show, also on January 15, but woolhandlers will not get there first shot in the North Island until the late-January Taihape and Rotorua shows on January 29-30, the first of five woolhandling competitions in the North Island in nine days.

Of the seven that have gone ahead in the South Island three are stand-alone events and four at A and P show that have been either cancelled or held without general public attendance.

The South Island season in the New Year is expected to resume as usual with the Peninsula Duvauchelle Shears at the Duvauchelle A and P Show on January 8.

The current schedule for the rest of the 2021-2022 season is:

November 20 (Sat): Nelson A and P Show.

January 8 (Sat): Peninsula Duvauchelle Shears.

January 14 (Fri): Northern Southland Community Shears, at Lumsden.

January 15 (Sat): Wairoa A and P Show; Southland Shears NZ Crossbred Lambs Champs, at Winton.

January 22 (Sat): Tapawera Shears.

January 23 (Sun): Horowhenua A, P and I Show, at Levin.

January 29 (Sat): Taihape A and P Show.

January 30 (Sun): Geyserland Agrodome Shears Rotorua, at Ngongotaha.

February 4 (Fri): Dannevirke A and P Show.

February 5 (Sat): North Kaipara A and P Show, at Paparoa; Rangitikei Shearing Sports, at Marton; Reefton Shears, at Inangahua A and P Show, Reefton

February 6 (Sun): Aria Waitangi Day Sports.

February 12 (Sat): Northern Wairoa A and P Show, at Arapohue; Te Puke A and P Show; Otago Shears, at Balclutha.

February 18-19 (Fri-Sat): Southern Shears, at Gore.

February 19 (Sat): North Hokianga A and P Show, at Broadwood; Ohura A and P Show; Murchison A and P Show.

February 20 (Sun): Counties Shears, at Pukekohe.

February 25 (Fri): Taumarunui Shears.

February 26 (Sat): Apiti Sports Shears; Kaikoura A and P Show.

February 27 (Sun): Pahiatua Shears.

March 2 (Wed): Wairarapa Pre-Shears Woolhandling, at Riverside Farm, Mikimiki.

March 3-5 (Thu-Sat): Golden Shears, at Masterton.

March 5 (Sat): Amuri A and P Show, at Rotherham.

March 12 (Sat): Kumeu A and H Show; Cheviot A and P Show; Mayfield A and P Show.

March 19 (Sat): Warkworth A and P Show; Waimarino Shears, at Raetihi; Methven Lamb Shears, at Methven A and P Show.

March 26 (Sat): Waitomo Caves Sports.

March 27 (Sun): Flaxbourne A and P Show, at Ward.

March 31-April 2 (Thu-Sat): New Zealand Shears, at Te Kuiti.

April 2 (Sat): Oxford A and P Show.

April 15-16 (Fri-Sat): Royal Easter Show, at Auckland.

April 18 (Mon): Mackenzie A and P Show, at Fairlie.

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