Top of the South shearing welcomed back one of its most successful shearers on Saturday, but was unable to reward it with a win at the small Golden Bay A and P Show in Takaka.
Jason Win, from Ikamarua, near Reefton the West Coast, won the New Zealand Corriedale Championship in Christchurch in 2012, but has been living in Victoria, Australia, for most of the last decade.
The prospect of a win first-up back in New Zealand for a few weeks disappeared when he broke a comb as a lamb kicked his handpiece early in Saturday’s final over 20 lamns each, costing him about half a lamb in time.
Now 45, he battled back through the final’s 20 lambs to be first off in 17-minutes-flat, but Wakefield shearer Travers was just a couple of blows behind and had the quality on the day to beat Win by just over 4pts in the final count, with shears organiser Nick Nalder, of Takaka, third, having also featured in the spirit of the race in finishing in 17min 11.113sec.
Win’s father, Sam Win, of Reefton, shore in a Classic event of six lambs and six ewes each, and finished second to Roger Simpson, of Tapawera.
Win said his son is planning to compete at Reefton on February 4 before going back to Australia.
The Open shearing competition fielded 10 of the 19 shearers, Baigent repeating his previous wins in the event, including beating record-breaking Irish champion Ivan Scott at Takaka in 2017, and winning the title again in 2019.
The Senior event on Saturday was won by Timo Hicks, of Tapawera, while the Intermediate and Junior finals went to shearers from overseas, highlighting the arrival of dozens from the UK and Europe for mainshear throughout New Zealand.
Results of the Golden Bay A and P Show Shears at Takaka on Saturday, January 21, 2022:
Open final (20 lambs): Travers Baigent (Wakefield) 17min 1.87sec, 65.09pts, 1; Jason Win (Ikamatua/Hamilton, Vic) 17min, 69.3pts, 2; Nick Nalder (Takaka) 17min 11.13sec, 74.86pts, 3.
Open Plate (12 lambs): Floyd Haare (Bainham) 11min 53.03sec, 50.07pts, 1; Chris Jones (Blenheim) 13min 46.85sec, 52.43pts, 2; Frank Bint (Tapawera) 14min 56.44sec, 61.32pts, 3.
Senior final (10 lambs): Timo Hicks (Tapawera) 13min 21.26sec, 57.26pts, 1; Hamish Barker (Tapawera) 14min 42.72sec, 59.84pts, 2.
Intermediate final (4 lambs): Dylan Hamlin (Bainham) 6min 23.64sec, 32.43pts, 1; Alex Kiriakos (Todmorden, England) 6min 13.28sec, 34.91pts, 2; Kimberley MacLean (Motueka) 7min 39.25sec, 44.21pts, 3.
Junior final (3 lambs): Amy McNeil (Inverness, Scotland) 6min 19.28sec, 36.46pts, 1; Sam MacLean (Motueka) 8min 15.72sec, 45.86pts, 2.
Classic (12 sheep – 6 ewes, 6 lambs): Roger Simpson (Tapawera) 14min 20.19sec, 58.93pts, 1; Sam Win (Reefton) 14min 32.46sec, 59.62pts, 2; Frank Bint (Tapawera) 15min 28.41sec, 65.92pts, 3.
Clean Shear (2 sheep, Open limit 3 minutes): Travers Baigent (Wakefield) 5.5pts, 1; Jason Win (Ikamatua/Hamilton Vic.) 8.5pts, 2; Chris Jones (Blenheim) 13pts, 3.