Article and image courtesy of Doug Laing, Shearing Sports NZ
The Wairoa A and P Show is expected to have even more of an international flavour today as French shearers Loic Leygonie and Thimoleon Resneau try to get a first win in New Zealand ahead of the World championships in Invercargill next month.
They are scheduled to have a match against Wairoa show selection.
The event will also feature New Zealand World Championship team member Johnny Kirkpatrick, after the master shearer was forced to cancel his trip to Southland following mechanical difficulties with his flight out of Napier yesterday morning.
Over the last 10 years, shearers from Scotland, England, Northern Ireland and Wales, along with New Zealand, have won at Wairoa.
Uniquely, the Open final has been won by three World individual champions in that time, starting with Scottish shearer and eventual 2012 World champion Gavin Mutch, who crossed the island from his Taranaki farm to win in 2010, when the event was transferred to a woolshed outside Wairoa after torrential rain closed the showgrounds.
In 2013 the final was won by 2010 World champion Cam Ferguson, and the next year it was won by Rowland Smith as he built-up to his World championship win in Ireland four months later.
Other winners include New Zealand representative, 2006 Golden Shears and PGG Wrightson National winner and now former nine-hours ewes record holder Dion King (pictured), with three wins in the last 10 years, including last year.
The shearing starts at 9am.
Openinners at the Wairoa A and P Show over the last decade:
2007, John Kirkpatrick (Napier); 2008, John Kirkpatrick (Napier); 2009, Dion King (Flaxmere); 2010; Gavin Mutch (Scotland/Whangamomona); 2011, Dion King (Flaxmere); 2012, Tama Niania (Gisborne); 2013, Cam Ferguson (Waipawa); 2014, Rowland Smith (Hastings); 2015, David Buick (Pongaroa); 2016, Dion King (Flaxmere/Alfredton).
The Wairoa A and P Show is expected to have even more of an international flavour today as French shearers Loic Leygonie and Thimoleon Resneau try to get a first win in New Zealand ahead of the World championships in Invercargill next month.
They are scheduled to have a match against Wairoa show selection.
The event will also feature New Zealand World Championship team member Johnny Kirkpatrick, after the master shearer was forced to cancel his trip to Southland following mechanical difficulties with his flight out of Napier yesterday morning.
Over the last 10 years, shearers from Scotland, England, Northern Ireland and Wales, along with New Zealand, have won at Wairoa.
Uniquely, the Open final has been won by three World individual champions in that time, starting with Scottish shearer and eventual 2012 World champion Gavin Mutch, who crossed the island from his Taranaki farm to win in 2010, when the event was transferred to a woolshed outside Wairoa after torrential rain closed the showgrounds.
In 2013 the final was won by 2010 World champion Cam Ferguson, and the next year it was won by Rowland Smith as he built-up to his World championship win in Ireland four months later.
Other winners include New Zealand representative, 2006 Golden Shears and PGG Wrightson National winner and now former nine-hours ewes record holder Dion King (pictured), with three wins in the last 10 years, including last year.
The shearing starts at 9am.
Openinners at the Wairoa A and P Show over the last decade:
2007, John Kirkpatrick (Napier); 2008, John Kirkpatrick (Napier); 2009, Dion King (Flaxmere); 2010; Gavin Mutch (Scotland/Whangamomona); 2011, Dion King (Flaxmere); 2012, Tama Niania (Gisborne); 2013, Cam Ferguson (Waipawa); 2014, Rowland Smith (Hastings); 2015, David Buick (Pongaroa); 2016, Dion King (Flaxmere/Alfredton).
