Mutch on the pace for a double at Goldies?   9 Feb 2016

February 8, 2016

Mutch on the pace for a double at Goldies?

Reigning Golden Shears champion and 2012 World champion Gavin Mutch showed he is a big hope for a unique double at this year’s Golden Shears by dominating the Rangitikei Shearing Sports Open in Marton on Saturday.

Scottish international Mutch, a 36-year-old farmer and shearing contractor at Whangamomona in Taranaki, was top qualifier in the heats which were shorn on lambs, and then won the 20-sheep final.

The heats were the fourth of five qualifying rounds in the PGG Wrightson national circuit, the final of which will be shorn at the Golden Shears in Masterton on March 5.

It was the second time he had scored the maximum 12pts in the series, having also been top qualifier in the series’ longwool round at Waimate in October, and he is one of nine who have assured a place in the top 12, ahead of the last qualifying round at the Pahiatua Shears later this month.

The circuit, first staged in 1973, has never been won by a shearer from overseas, just as had been the case with the Golden Shears Open until Mutch broke the convention last March.

A surprise early elimination on Saturday was reigning World champion Rowland Smith, a comfortable winner of all eighth finals he’d contested this season, including Friday’s Dannevirke A and P Show Shears title.

In Marton shear for New Zealand in a test match against Wales, Smith later flew to the South Island to win Sunday’s New Zealand Rural Games Speedshear.

Mutch shore Saturday’s final in just under 16min 32sec, just pipping reigning New Zealand Open champion Dion King. But the real quality performance came from Feilding shearer Murray Henderson, whose 12.85 penalty points were easily the best – 4.6pts better than Mutch and enabling Henderson to claim second-place overall. The 2015 Golden Shears runner-up, Aaron Haynes, also of Feilding, was third, and King had to settle for fourth place.

The Senior final at Marton was won by 2015 New Zealand Intermediate champion Kaleb Foote, while Darren Alexander, of Whangamomona, won the Senior title the previous day at Dannevirke.

Napier shearer Paraki Puna won the Intermediate finals at both shows, Welsh shearer Gwydion Davies scored his second win in a week with victory in the Marton Junior final, while Masterton shearer Sam Davison claimed his first Junior title at Dannevirke.

Emaraina Braddick joins growing list of first-time Open winners

The first family of Eketahuna shearing claimed its biggest title when Emaraina Braddick won her first Open woolhandling title at the Dannevirke A and P Show on Friday(February 5).

The 28-year-old, whose last win was the Taranaki Shears Senior final in 2011, became the third first-time Open woolhandling final winner of the season, all three beating reigning Golden Shears Open champion, 2012 World champion and PGG Wrightson-sponsored Joel Henare, of Gisborne.

Previously, Maryanne Baty won the Great Raihania Shears title at the Royal Show in Hastings in October and on January 30 the Taihape final was won by Kim Sowry.

Runner-up on Friday, Henare bounced back to win the next day at Marton, where Braddick continued her form to win the third-place ribbon. It was Henare’s eighth win of the season.

The weekend’s senior woolhandling finals were shared, with Rahna Williams, of Flaxmere, winning at Dannevirke, and Henare’s wife, Erica, triumphing at Marton.

Top open shearer John Kirkpatrick, of Napier, was missing from the shearing lineups at both shows, but the family name was still to the fore with daughter Angela winning both the Junior woolhandling finals.

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