Sunday, 30 March, 2014 - 00:13

From Doug Laing, media officer, Shearing Sports New Zealand

Hawke’s Bay will have both Kiwi machine shearing representatives at a World Championships for the second time in a row after a big quinella in the New Zealand championships Open final in Te Kuiti tonight.

The two are Rowland Smith and John Kirkpatrick who staved off legendary Te Kuiti giant David Fagan’s bid to have one last crack at the big one.

The 52-year-old Fagan, winner of five individual World titles, was first to finish tonight’s 20-sheep contest, taking 15min 27.03sec, but was unable to match speed with quality and had to settle for fourth place when all points were counted.

Fagan and Smith waged a classic battle for fastest time as they shore side by side on stands five and six, but with second fastest time and the best quality points the 27-year-old Smith was able to win comfortably.

Having already secured his first World championships place by successfully defending the Golden Shears Open title in Masterton four weeks ago, Smith showed complete and endearing professionalism to still win tonight by more than three points as Kirkpatrick did enough to finish second and win a place at the World championships for a third time.

Taihape schoolteacher and 2008 World woolhandling champion Sheree Alabaster won the New Zealkand Open woolhandling title for a seventh time, after the surprise semi-final elimination of reigning World and Golden Shears champion Joel Henare. Up-and-coming Open class woolhandler Logan Kamura, of Marton, was second, and third was Te Awamutu’s Keryn Herbert, who won a World teams title with Alabaster in 2010.

In other events, Kirkpatrick won the New Zealand Shears Open Circuit shearing over 5 finewooled merinos, five crossbred ewes and five lambs, and Masterton-based Riverton shearer Casey Bailey won the Senior shearing final, turning the tables on Mataura shearer Brett Roberts, who won the Golden Shears Senior title earlier in the month.