Mutch bounces back from health scare to win Taihape title   25 Jan 2015

A few days in hospital before Christmas and a few lingering questions about the health proved no bar to Taranaki farmer and 2012 World champion Gavin Mutch when he won a top-class Open final at the Taihape A and P Show today.

In plus-30deg temperatures, having driven thee hours from Whangamomona, and having not won a competition in his adopted country since November 2013, Mutch emerged from a strong field of 26 to be top qualifier for the six-man final to get a flying to the 20-sheep showdown by having first three shorn in under 2min 30sec.

Amazingly, Mutch had already put a sheep around 2010 World champion and Waipawa shearer Cam Ferguson, who had all the bad luck this Saturdayafter two show wins and a Speedshear triumph just a week earlier.

Among a good-shearing flock there was always a fighter, and Mutch had his struggle on the 12th, when his own condition started to wilt.

He recovered enough to finish first, with 20 sheep away in 17in 20sec, 10 seconds ahead of Hastings gun, 2006 Golden Shears champion and World lambshearing record holder Dion King.

Te Kuti legend David Fagan was the only other shearer not to be beaten by at least a sheep, but patience proved a virtue for the vanguard, particularly Feilding shows stalwart Murray Henderson who made up a time-points deficit from finishing last and 1min 40sec down by scoring the best board and pen quality points to claim second place overall.

Mutch, who ended with a comfortable margin of 2.9pts, was surprised but found the smaller ewes to his liking.

“They were my sort of sheep, they were like UK sheep” said the 36-year-old father-of-four who faces a conundrum with changing priorities in life (farm and family), but still sees himself following most of the important show weekends over the next two months.

“But these days it’s a bit like waking up in the morning and deciding if I’ll go,” he said.

The sheep proved “right” also for several other UK competitors in a competition which attracted over 100 shearers across four grades.

The sheep also suited other UK competitors, with fellow-Scot Scott Wilson finishing runner-up and Welshman Alun Jones 5th to Masterton shearer Ethan Pankhurst in the Senior final, Ynyr Pugh, of Wales, and Nick Greaves, of England, 5th and 6th respectively in the Intermediate final won by Larry Fleming, of Gisborne, and Rhys Rickard, orf Wales, and Ross Thomson, of England, 4th and 5th in the Junior grade, which was won by Ricci Stevens, of Napier.

The numbers weren’t so great in the three woolhandling events, raising the concern of Open woolhandling final winner, prolific competitor and New Zealand team member Keryn Herbert, of Te Awamutu, who in her victory speech urged competitors to get to tomorrow’s (Sunday’s) Rotorua Show.

“Support these shows,” she said. “If you don’t they’ll die. And then we won’t have the shows.”

Herbert won by one of the narrowest margins seen in an open woolhandling final, which wasn’t good news for Dannevirke’s Rocky Hape-Taite, denied his first Open win in New Zealand by just 0.112pts, and beating 2008 World champion Sheree Alabaster, of Taihape.

The Senior woolhandling final was also a close affair, won by Ana Braddick, of Eketahuna, from runner-up Adrienne Samuels, of Marton, while the Junior final was won by Raniera Whare, of Taumarnui.

RESULTS from the Taihape A and P Show Shears at Taihape, on Saturday, January 24, 2015:

Shearing:

Open final (20 sheep): Gavin Mutch (Scotland and Whangamomona) 17min 20sec, 64.65pts, 1; Murray Henderson (Feilding) 19min 7sec, 67.55pts, 2; Mark Grainger (Te Kuiti) 18min 23sec, 67.9pts, 3; Cam Ferguson (Waipawa) 18min 23sec, 67.95pts, 4; David Fagan (Te Kuiti) 18min, 69.2pts, 5; Dion King (Hastings) 17min 30sec, 69.8pts, 6.

Senior final (10 sheep): Ethan Pankhurst (Masterton) 11min 29sec, 46.35pts, 1; Scott Wilson (Scotland) 10min 37sec, 47.75pts, 2; Gavin Kelly (Taihape) 11min 36sec, 52pts, 3; Darren Alexander (Whangamomona) 12min 17sec, 52.45pts, 4; Graham Edmonds (Gisborne) 11min 45sec, 52.45pts, 5; Alun Jones (Wales) 10min 35sec, 55.95pts, 6.

Senior final (8 sheep): Larry Fleming (Gisborne) 10min 52sec, 45.35pts, 1; Michael Herlihy (Matiere) 12min 31sec, 49.18pts, 2; Kaleb Foote (Waikaretu) 13min 2sec, 50.23pts, 3; Jaycob Brunton (Levin) 12min 56sec, 50.55pts, 4; Ynyr Pugh (Wales) 11min 11sec, 53.05pts, 5; Nick Greaves (England) 13min 41sec, 62.55pts, 6.

Junior final (4 sheep): Ricci Stevens (Napier) 8min 21sec, 40.55pts, 1; Kamry Moses (Taihape) 6min 11sec, 67.3pts, 2; Jeremy Morton (Gisborne) 8min 54sec, 52.95pts, 3; Rhys Rickard (Wales) 7min 3sec, 49.15pts, 4; Ross Thomson (England) 7min 44sec, 48.95pts, 5; Cameron Smith (Pongaroa) 9min 59sec, 48.7pts, 6.

Woolhandling:

Open final: Keryn Herbert (Te Awamutu)) 56.638pts, 1; Rocky Hape-Taite (Dannevirke) 56.75pts, 2; Sheree Alabaster (Taihape) 64.456pts, 3; Emaraina Braddick (Eketahuna) 91.18pts, 4; Carmen Smith (Pongaroa) 92.22pts, 5.

Senior final: Ana Braddick (Eketahiuna) 71.22pts, 1; Adrienne Samuels (Marton) 72.53pts, 2; Danae SciaScia (Cheltenham) 74.5pts, 3; Selena Anderson (Taihape) 85.87pts, 4; Geraldine Turipa (Feilding) 89.15pts, 5.

Junior final: Raniera Whare (Taumarunui) 82pts, 1; Marika Braddick (Eketahuna) 91pts, 2; Michael Herlihy (Matiere) 99.8pts, 3; Petaraina Hume (Flaxmere)) 106pts, 4; Georgia SciaScia (Cheltenham) 110pts, 5.

ENDS

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