Right royal show as Smith beats Fagan again

MEDIA RELEASE
From Doug Laing, media officer, Shearing Sports New Zealand
April 4, 2015

Right royal show as Smith beats Fagan again

World champion shearer Rowland Smith is on target to complete a grand-slam of five-straight end-of-season victories after retaining his Royal Easter Show title in Auckland today.

Hastings-based Smith, 28, was only third to finish a close 20-sheep final but kept the quality penalties in check enough to claim a comfortable win by 2.5pts over runner-up and 53-year-old shearing legend David Fagan, who was competing in an Auckland show final for the last time before retiring after next weekend’s New Zealand Shearing Championships in home-town Te Kuiti.

It was Smith’s fourth win in a row since returning to competition a fortnight ago after a nine-month break since returning from his World Championships triumph in Ireland last May, and is now favoured to retain the New Zealand Open title next Saturday night.

Fagan has, made it a busy testimonial season, competing in 25 finals throughout the country since October, winning 12 and five times being runner-up.

But he missed-out on qualifying for either the Open Championship or the PGG Wrightson National finals at the Golden Shears earlier this month in Masterton, where he was, nevertheless accorded a standing ovation in an emotional farewell from the World’s greatest shearing stage.

Digger Balme, also of Te Kuiti, was first to finish today, shearing the 20 sheep in 16min 39sec, beating Fagan by 10 seconds and Smith by 14, but had to settle for third in the final count.

Masterton shearer and Golden Shears Senior champion Ethan Pankhurst scored his 13th win of the season today, in his penultimate show before being promoted to Open class. He bounced back after being beaten twice in a row by Taumarunui shearer Floyde Neil since Pankhurst won his big title in Masterton

Kaeo teenager Marshall Guy won the Intermedate final today, to go with his Golden Shears win in the grade four weeks ago, and the Junior final today was won by Ricci Stevens, of Gisborne.

Results of the Royal Easter Show shearing championships at Epsom Showgrounds, Auckland, on Saturday, April 4, 2015:

Open final (20 sheep): Rowland Smith (Hastings) 16min 53sec, 65.1pts, 1; David Fagan (Te Kuiti) 16min 49sec, 67.6pts, 2; Digger Balme (Te Kuiti) 16min 39sec, 73.4pts, 3; Aaron Haynes (Feilding) 19min 23sec, 74.6pts, 4; Mark Grainger (Te Kuiti) 19min 17sec, 75.2pts, 5.

Senior final (8 sheep): Ethan Pankhurst (Masterton) 9min 26sec, 43.125pts, 1; Darren Alexander (Whangamomona) 9min 50sec, 51.625pts, 2; Floyde Neil (Taumarunui) 9min 16sec, 55.175pts, 3; Bevan Pere (Gisborne) 10min 19sec, 55.325pts, 4; Lee Cheyne (Huntly) 11min 55sec, 57.5pts, 5.

Intermediate final: Marshall Guy (Kaeo) 11min 50sec, 53.125pts, 1; Kaleb Foote (Waikaretu) 13min 5sec, 56.325pts, 2; Michael Herlihy (Matiere) 12min 23sec, 58.65pts, 3; Alan Boler (Wellsford) 13min 16sec, 64.3pts, 4; Josh Balme (Te Kuiti) 15min 34sec, 70.075pts, 5.

Junior final: Ricci Stevens (Gisborne) 9min 17sec, 41.85pts, 1; Sean Gouk (Hamilton) 9min 33sec, 42.65pts, 2; Daniel Seed (Tauranga) 8min 44sec, 50.95pts, 3; Connor Puha (Kimbolton) 10min 39sec, 55.7pts, 4; Liam Lowry (Glen Murray) 10min 32sec, 63.35pts, 5.

Transtasman (6 sheep): North Auckland 98.533pts (Neville Osborne 6min 57sec, 44.35pts; Ralph Smith 9min 7sec, 54.183pts) beat Warrnambool Show 98.766pts, (Roger Mifsud 8min 41sec, 45.383pts; Jamie Bryant 8min 41sec, 53.383pts).

Inter-island (8 sheep): North Island Invitation 89.65pts (Casey Bailey 9min 45sec, 43.875pts; Neville Osborne 8min 13sec, 45.775pts) beat South Island Invitation 97.125pts (Brett Roberts 9min 42sec, 47.725pts; Ethan Pankhurst 9min 58sec, 49.4pts),

ENDS

© Scoop Media