Much waiting yields Mutch win at Stratford   30 Nov 2015

Much waiting yields Mutch win at Stratford

Spectators reckoned Golden Shears champion and 2012 World champion Gavin Mutch looked pretty happy as he shore his way to victory in the Open final at the Stratford A and P Show on Saturday(November 28)..

With good reason, for despite living in the area about 15 years, it was the Whangamomona-based Scotsman’s first win at the nearest show to home, and the first time he’d beaten local shearing hero and fellow former World champion Paul Avery in a final at either the show or the Taranaki Shears, which are also held in Stratford, each March.

Not many had beaten Avery at the showgrounds, where the 2008 World champion had won the Open final 15 times in 20 years, with Mutch runner-up four of those times..

The 36-year-old Mutch, who had however won the 2014 Taranaki Shears Open final and gthe events Senior final in 2002, both without Avery in the opposition, last March became the first shearer from overseas to win the most-coveted Golden Shears Open title in Masterton.

He had reached six finals in New Zealand since then, but finished no better than third, most recently at the Central Hawke’s Bay show in Waipukurau on November 14.

Yesterday, he was focused, blasting through the 15 sheep in 12min 2sec, beating Avery by almost a sheep, with third finalist Jack Fagan, of Te Kuiti, finishing about another two minutes later.

“It was one of the better shears I have had for quite a while,” he said..

Fellow farmer Avery, the 2008 World Champion and a multiple Golden Shears and New Open champion didn’t have the best of days, however, incurring one “max” penalty and slipping back to third in the final count, allowing 2015 Royal Welsh All-Nations winner Fagan hisd best placing in an Open final in New Zealand.

There was heavy rain as Mutch left the farm in the morning, and the showgrounds competition organiser Avery was looking at a potential “mud bowl.”

The saving graces were that the sheep had been under cover for two days, the weather improved during the day, and there were some big entries in what was almost a United Nations invasion of the lower grades.

“They were coming out of the woodwork,” said Avery. “Welsh, Irish, French…I was wondering where they were all coming from. But that’s the way shearing’s going at the moment.”

There were 10 entries in the Open, and just seven in the Senior, the final of which was won by Masterton shearer Dylan McGruddy, his fifth win in the Senior grade in New Zealand. He beat runner-up David Gower, of Stratford, by 0.4pts.

But the Intermediate and Junior grades each attracted 17 entries, while there was also a Novice event.

The numbers meant Avery spent much of the day “juggling” sheep numbers, with the result that there were no semi-finals in the Open and Senior classes.

Gore-based Lionel Taumata backed-up wins at Waimate and Ellesmere in the South Island in October and won the Intermediate final by more than 6pts fromrunner-up and local hope Brent Bellamy, and Connor Puha, of Kimbolton, had his second Junior win, beating runner-up Jordan Hart, from Blenheim, by more than 5pts in their final.

Results from the Stratford A and P Show Shears on Saturday, November 28, 2015:

Open final (15 sheep): Gavin Mutch (Scotland/Whangamomona) 54.299pts, 1; Jack Fagan (Te Kuiti) 57.966pts, 2; Paul Avery (Toko) 60.599pts, 3; Paerata Abraham (Dannevirke) 4, Murray Henderson (Feilding) 5, Michael Fabish (Stratford) 6..

Senior final: Dylan McGruddy (Masterton) 52pts, 1; David Gower (Whangamomona) 52.4pts, 2; Catherine Mullooly (Matawai) 59.25pts, 3; Darren Alexander (Whangamomona) 4; Nathan Gleeson (Stratford) 5; Michael Herlihy (Matiere) 6.

Intermediate final: Lionel Taumata (Taumarunui/Gore) 43.316pts, 1; Brent Bellamy (Strathmore) 49.816pts, 2; Joe Butler (Tadcaster, England) 53.816pts, 3; Jaycob Brunton (Levin) 4; George Gilbert (Herefordshire, England) 5; Stuart Fraser (Halcombe) 6.

Junior final: Connor Puha (Kimbolton) 27.482pts, 1; Jordan Hart (Blenheim) 32.666pts, 2; Cody Greig (Foxton) 33.766pts, 3; Josh Harding (Hunterville) 4; Sam Davison (Masterton) 5; Matthew Smith (Otorohanga) 6.

Novice final: Darren Bryant (Levin) 35.8pts; Phillip Wiki (-) 44.9pts, 2; Ratu Howden (Taumarunui) 53.5pts, 3; Alan Hughes (Wales) 55pts, 4; Ashleigh Holtham (Matau) 94.55pts, 5; Niwa Rix (-) 105.2pts, 6.

ENDS

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