Ladies Day As Three Women Win At Ohura Shears

A piece of shear history may have been created at the remote Ohura A and P show today (Saturday) when women won three of the four shearing finals.

They were Laura Bradley, a mum and farmer from Papatawa, between Dannevirke and Woodville, and who beat three men in a Senior final of six sheep each, Sarah Bryant, of Arohena, between Otorohanga and Tokoroa, who beat three males in the Intermediate final of four sheep each, and Jodiesha Kirkpatrick, of Gisborne, who was not only the only female in the Junior final, of three sheep each, but also the only New Zealander.

Bradley and Kirkpatrick have each won six finals this season, and three Junior woolhandling finals each, while Bryant had her first win just seven days earlier at the Te Puke A and P Show.

The odd man out was Hunterville shearing contractor Shane Ratima, who had his first win in an Open final, a four-man contest of 12 sheep each, pipping runner-up and Otorohanga veteran Digger Balme by less than 15 hundredths of a point.

Competition convener Chris Brears beat them both to the finish, shearing the 12 in 12m 4.97s, but Ratima, third off in 12m 21.25s had the best shearing board points.

Ratima, father of recent Rangitikei Intermediate winner Orlando Ratima, said he went to the show, west of Taumarunui, to take two of his Welsh shearers, a success in itself with three ribbons in the vehicle on the way home, Owen Marin Jones having been runner-up to Bryant in the Intermediate final and Morgan Jones finishing fourth in the Junior final.

In the woolhandling, Keryn Herbert, of Te Kuiti, won the Open event from Te Anna Phillips, of Taumatunui, in a big show of loyalty and commitment after both had competed at the Southern Shears in Gore on 24 hours earlier. The Senior final was won by Alice Otimi, of Ngāpuke, and Miracle Waikato, of Flaxmere, had her first win, in the Junior final.

Meanwhile, Northland shearer Toa Henderson won the Counties Shears Open final at the Franlin A and P Show in Pukekohe on Sunday, less than 24 hours after winning the Southern Shears Open final in Gore.

Laura Bradley, of Papatawa, between Dannevirke and Woodville, and Jodiesha Kirkpatrick, of Gisborne, also each made it a double for the weekend by winning the Senior and Junior finals respectively, just a day after each winning at the Ohura A and P Show west of Taumarunui.

Dargaville shearers dominated the northernmost competition on the Shearing Sports New Zealand calendar at the North Hokianga A and P Show on Saturday at Broadwood, between Kaikohe and Kaitaia, with Neville Osborne winning the Open final, and brother-and-sister Michael Boyd and Danielle Boyd the Senior and Intermediate titles respectively.

The competition season now sweeps into the biggest stage of the year with top competitors at the Taumarunui Jamboreee Shears on Friday, the Apiti YFC Sports Shears on Saturday,the Pahiatua Shears on Sunday, the Hawke’s Bay Autumn Shears next Tuesday, the Wairarapa Pre-Shears Woolhandling Championships next Wednesday and the Golden Shears in Masterton on February 27-March 1.

Results from Ohura A and P Show shearing and woolhandling championships on Saturday, February 15, 2025:

Shearing:

Open final (12 sheep): Shane Ratima (Hunterville) 12m 21.25s, 46.8125pts, 1; Digger Balme (Otorohanga) 12m 12.53s, 46.9598pts, 2; Conan Te Kene (Taumarunui) 13m 4.06s, 48.6197pts, 3; Chris Brears (Mariere) 12m 4.97s, 49.4985pts, 4.

Senior final (6 sheep): Laura Bradley (Papatawa) 7m 7.03s, 29.6848pts, 1; Daniel Seed (Pahiatua) 7m 31.63s, 30.7482pts, 2; Mark Ferguson (Elsthorpe) 7m 32s, 31.2667pts, 3; Topia Barrowcliffe (Piopio) 6m 9.94s, 31.8303pts, 4.

Intermediate final (4 sheep): Sarah Bryant (Arohena) 6m 14.44s, 25.222pts, 1; Owen Martin Jones (Llangollen, Wales) 6m 12.06s, 26.603pts, 2; Thomas Marchant (Otorohanga) 6m 19.72s, 27.486pts, 3; Paiaka Murahi (Piopio) 6m 41.03s, 32.3105pts, 4.

Junior final (3 sheep): Jodiesha Kirkpatrick (Gisborne) 6m 6.12s, 24.6393pts, 1; Sean Dunne (Wicklow, Ireland) 6m 22.82s, 27.141pts, 2; Kevin Noone (Donegal, Ireland) 6m 45.4s, 27.9367pts, 3; Morgan Jones (Llangwm, Wales) 6m 37.15s, 29.1908pts, 4.

Woolhandling:

Open final: Keryn Herbert (Te Kuiti) 69.02pts, 1; Te Anna Phillips (Taumarunui) 75.28pts, 2.

Senior final: Alice Otimi (Ngāpuke) 55.090pts, 1; Kelly Barrett (Kawhia) 55.97pts, 2; Kelly Brears (Matiere) 73.8pts, 3.

Junior final: Miracle Waikato (Flaxmere) 41.47pts, 1; Paige Marshall (Matiere) 45.pts, 2; Miri Thompson (Taumarunui) 57.65pts, 3.

Results from the North Hokianga A and P Show shearing championships at Broadwood, on Saturday, February 15, 2025:

Open final (12 sheep): Neville Osbornne (Dargaville) 10m 11s, 42.62pts, 1; Phil Wedd (Silverdale) 10m 37s, 44.6pts, 2; Ralph Smith (Dargaville) 15m 21s, 59.04pts, 3.

Senior final (6 sheep): Michael Boyd (Dargaville) 7m 21s, 28.38pts, 1; Tommy Stevenson (Dargaville) 7m 11s, 30.21pts, 2; Steve Coop (Wellsford) 7m 56s, 41.13pts, 3.

Intermediate (3 sheep): Danielle Boyd (Dargaville) 5m 9s, 27.11pts, 1; Liam Smedley (4m 53s, 30.97pts, 2; Rex Finlayson (Kai Iwi Lakes) 5m 3s, 34.15pts, 3.

RESULTS from the Counties Shears at the Franklin A and P Show at Pukekohe, on Sunday, February 16, 2025:

Open final: Toa Henderson (Kaiwaka) 50.79pts, 1; Mark Grainger (Te Kuiti) 55.3pts, 2; John Kirkpatrick (Pakipaki)55.55pts, 3; Jack Fagan (Te Kuiti) 57.9pts, 4; Digger Balme (Otorohanga) 64.84pts, 5.

Senior final: Laura Bradley (Papatawa) 29.68pts, 1; Daniel Seed (Pahiatua) 33.15pts, 2; Callum Bosley (Cornwall, England) 33.58pts, 3; Tommy Stevenson (Dargaville) 35.83pts, 4; Michael Boyd (Dargaville) 39.53pts, 5.

Intermediate final: Sam Parker (Raglan) 26.75pts, 1; Owen Martin Jones (Llangollen, Wales) 29.55pts, 2; Lydia Thomson (Rangiora/Hastings) 29.6pts, 3; Thomas Marchant (Otorohanga) 31.25pts, 4; Sarah Bryant (Arohena)31.3pts, 5.

Junior final: Jodiesha Kirkpatrick (Gisborne) 28.8pts, 1; Morgan Jones (Llangwm, Wales) 29.95pts, 2; Sean Dunne (Wicklow, Ireland) 31.6pts, 3; Tana Maguire (Piopio) 35pts, 4; Tessa Berger (Ahuroa) 38.65pts, 5.

Novice: Cam Henson (Woodville) 15.9pts, 1; James Anderson (-) 21.3pts, 2; Reagan Harris (Te Kauwhata) 29.9pts, 3; Keanu Edkins (Piopio) 39.95pts, 4; Richard Sutton (Papamoa) 42.4pts, 5.

Veterans: Ralph Smith (Dargaville) 15.56pts, 1; Peter McCabe (Katikati) 24.1pts, 2; Lee Cheyne (Te Kauwhata) 25.4pts, 3; Jeff Wood (Tangiteroria) 26.05pts, 4; Mike Hegglin (Aria) 30.2pts, 5.

© Scoop Media