Favourites dominate big finals at Golden Shears

Hot favourites Rowland Smith and Joel Henare have successfully defended the two major titles at the 59th Golden Shears international shearinhg and woolhandling championships in Masterton tonight.

Smith, 32, won the Open shearing title for a 6th time, equalling the tally of early-years Golden Shears household name Brian Snow Quinn, who won five times from 1965 to 1972, whil Henare, 27, won a record 7th Open woolhandling title, all of them in a row.

Smith won a place at the World championships in France in July, but Henare missed his chance to defend his World title when he was eliminated in the semi-final of a selection series, from which first two placegetter Pagan Karauria, of Alexandra, and Sheree Alabaster, of Taihape, won places in the team.

The 2017 World teams champions, Nathan Stratford, of Invercargill and individual champion John Kirkpatrick, of Pakipaki in Hawke's Bay, were second and third in the shearing final but get a second chance at New Zealand championships in Te Kuiti on May 28-30 where the second machine shearing representative will be decided on March 30.

Bladeshearers Tony Dobbs, of Fairlie, and Allan Oldfield, of Geraldine, will also compete at the championships.

In other events tonight, Australian team Daniel McIntyre, Jason Wingfield and Callum O'Brien beat Kiwis Smith, John Kirkpatrick and Nathan Stratford in a transpasman test, while Masterton shearer Paerata Abraham claimed a place in next season's transtasman team after winning the PGG Wrightson Wool National Circuit final.

Rowland Smith winner Open Shearing Final 2019

Rowland Smith winner Open Shearing Final 2019

Joel Henare winner Open Woolhandling Final 2019

Joel Henare winner Open Woolhandling Final 2019

Welch wins historic Golden Shears women's event

With some of women's greatest shearing achievements behind her Emily Welch is looking for even better after winning a new women's event at the 59th Golden Shears in Masterton today.

The 39-year-old mum-of-four was the instigator of the event, which pitted six of the best-performing women in Golden Shears Open, Senior and Intermediate heats in what Welch hopes is the first step towards eventually establishing a Women's World title.

The next step will be a separate women's event, with heats and a final, at the New Zealand Shears in Te Kuiti on March 28-30.

Welch has been on the path a while, since 2007 when she was a close-up second placing in the Golden Shears Senior final, the best result achieved by a woman the grade at the achieving the best women's Senior result in the history of the Goldies.

Just nine months later she shore a still-unchallenged women's World record of 648 lambs in nine hours, she runs a shearing contracting business at Waikaretu with husband and fellow-record-breaking shearer Sam Welch, in 2014 she won an invitation women's event at the Golden Shears, and in 2017 she was competing in the Open championship heats as part of the making of the now popular docu-movie She Shears, which followed the paths of five female shearers to the GoldenShears.

Daughter of shearer Phillip Woodward, who will travel the World championships in France to manage the Canadian team, which includes women's event runner-up Pauline Bolay, a longtime employee of the business in the Port Waikato area during her seasons in New Zealand.

Troubled by a significant ear infection, Welch's competition preparation for today's event was limited to one competition, the Franklin A and P Show's Counties Shears she and her husband organise each February, but she's hoping to get more in in the four weeks before the Te Kuiti event.

She hopes to continue getting occasional full and part days shearing in the woolshed, buyt the competition opportunities will still be limited.

She's currently also in training, including a 3km morning run earlier today, for the six-hour Spirited Women orienteering endurance event in Gisborne on March 23.

But she's keen to get the numbers up at Te Kuiti, encouraging the increasing number of female shearers to take to the competition board.

"If we want to have these events we've got to have the people entering," she said.

Third in today's event of six shearers six sheep each was Senior shearer Laura Bradley, of Woodville, one of three university graduates on the board.

Among them was Blenheim's shearing contractor and fulltime shearer Sarah Higgins, who the first person to win Golden Shears titles in both woolhadling and shearing, and who was completing a busy morning, after shearing in the Golden Shears Senior semi-finals and the YFC Blue Ribbon championship.

It was sponsored by Masterton company Abraham shearing, run by successful Open shearer Paerata Abraham and wife Cushla (nee Gordon) and Open-class woolhandler who had a successful lower grades career as a shearer and a woolhandler.

Waikaretu shear, contractor, mum-of-four and endurance eventer Emily Welch winning the women's event at the 59th Golden Shears in Masterton today.
PHOTO/Pete Nikolaison, Golden Shears.

All over baa the shouting...finalists await the reult of the Golden Shears women's shearing final, from left Pauline Bolay (second), winner Emily Welch, Jills Angus Burney (5th), Laura Bradley (4th), Jackie Paku (6th) and Sarah Higgins (4th).
PHOTO/Pete Nikolaison, Golden Shears.

Golden Shears boilover - World champ Henare to miss 2019 defence

Reigning World champion woolhandler Joel Henare is out of the race to defend his title in France this year after being eliminated from New Zealand team selection contention at the Golden Shears in Masterton today.

Henare, winner of World individual and teams titles in Masterton in 2012 and Invercargill in 2017, was eliminated in a selection series semi-final, finishing last of the eight hopefuls and being left to watch four rivals battle tonight for the two woolhandling places in the Shearing Sports New Zealand team for the championships in Le Dorat, Central France, on July 1-7.

Qualifying for tonight's series final are new Master Woolhandler Pagan Karauria, of Alexandra, 2010 World teams title winner Keryn Herbert, of Te Kuiti, Gore woolhandler Chelsea Collier, and 2008 World champion Sheree Alabaster, of Taihape.

Henare, who last night announced he is retiring from transtasman international competition, is, however, still in the running for a 7th consecutive Golden Shears Open woolhandling championship, with the semi-finals and final to be held later today.

Joel Henare

Special test match win for veteran Henare, aged 27

Champion woolhandler Joel Henare last night announced what must have been one of the youngest retirements from international sport.

But at the age of just 27 Henare has done his 10 years at the top, or more, and publicly announced after yet another New Zealand win over Australia at the Golden Shears in Masterton that after 14 transtasman test matches it's time to let life take another course.

He was already an experienced winner when he first competed in a transtasman test, at the age of 16 in 2008 and on his first overseas trip, to Hay, NSW.

From Gisborne but based in Central Otago for much of his career, he's since won more than 100 Open woolhandling finals, including many times beating close friends with whom he has formed New Zealand teams, from first-match teammate Keryn Herbert to Sheree Alabaster, the partner in last night's swansong.

The trio have won more than 200 Open woolhandling finals between them, which hasn't left a lot for any others during the seasons of about 20-25 finals a year.

But there have also been close bonds with the opposition, including Australian Melanie Morris, who, with 11 tests under her belt, also starting 2008, is also pondering bowing out of the international scene after this year's World Championships in France.

Alabaster, a Taihape schoolteacher who has had 10 transtasman tests, including six with Henare as the teammate, said it was an honour to be working with the reigning World and Golden Shears in the win over Morris, from Cressy, Tasmania, and Sophi Huff, from Hawkesdale, Vic.

Going to a plan set by the pair earlier in the day, including watching video of previous tests, it avenged a defeat in Perth last September – the only time Henare had been in the losing team in a series in which New Zealand has now won 31 of the 41 tests since the annual home and away transtasman internationals began in 1998.

Looking forward to more time with his children and a possible career in real estate, but still facing a Golden Shears Open championships defence and New Zealand World Championships team selection finals today, Henare said last night there had been a lot of pressure to win.

"But it was great," he said. "Everything went how I thought it would, with the amount of energy needed given it was late at night."

The 59th Golden Shears are now in their last day in Masterton's War Memorial Stadium, with a transtasman shearing test tonight and 13 other finals during the day and evening.

Joel Henare in his Transtasman woolhandling swansong at the Golden Shears in Masterton last night, win No 13 out of his 14 tests since 2008.
PHOTO/Pete Nikolaison, Golden Shears.

Taihape schoolteacher Sheree Alabaster during New Zealand's win over Australia in the latest transtasman woolhandling test at the Golden Shears in Masterton last night.
PHOTO/Pete Nikolaison, Golden Shears.

The Australian team of Melanie Morris (left) and Sophie Huf during last night's transtasman woolhandling test won by New Zealand at the Glden Shears in Masterton.
PHOTO/Pete Nikolaison, Golden Shears.

Smith lining up Golden Shears Open No 6

Defending Golden Shears Open shearing champion Rowland Smith remains on target for a sixth win in the event by qualifying in first place for tomorrow's semi-finals.

The TAB's hot favourite to win, Smith was a comfortable leader in tonight's top 30 quarterfinal shootout in a near-packed War Memorial Stadium in Masterton, almost 1.5pts clear of next-man-in, 2006 champion and fellow Hawke's Bay shearer Dion King.

The first five of the 12 qualifiers have horn the Golden Shears Open final in the past and will be among the favourites to make the last step-up to tomorrow night's six-man final of 20 sheep.

Only two have not, including sixth-man-in and double lower grades champion Ringakaha Paewai, from Dannevirke, living in Gore, and brother of Six60 drummer Eli Paewai.

Smith was also top qualifier in the heats of 71 shearers, his form carrying on from 11 consecutive wins in competitions around the country since January 19, in an almost uneaten run of just over 50 finals in the last two years.

Points in each stage revert to scratch, but the quip of the night went to spectator who reckoned that even if it's zero across the board as the first sheep is dragged on to the board Smith still has a head start.

Defending champion Rowland Smith in tonight's Golden Shears Open quarterfinals, claiming the No 1 position heading into Saturday afternoon's semi-finals with the hope of landing the title for a 6th rime a few hours later, and with it a place at the World Championships in France in July.
PHOTO/Pete Nikolaison, Golden Shears.

Aussies still a good chance, without the main man

The Australian team for a transtasman shearing test at the Golden Shears on Saturday night looks a bit different without Shannon Warnest – missing from the team for the first time since 2004.

But the absence of the two-time World champion and South Australian, who represented Australia in 30 consecutive transtasman tests up to the last in Perth last September, the 21st Australian win in the 15 years in which Warnest had been the top individual at least 15 times, shouldn't mean they should be overlooked as perhaps the strongest-ever New Zealand team tries to regain some supremacy for the Silver Fern.

That's the view of fellow test match stayer Jason Wingfield, of Cobram, Vic, and who has 19 of the tests under his belt, including 11 wins.

In Masterton since Tuesday preparing for the clash, on sheep made available by Golden Shears president and former New Zealand team manager Sam Saunders, Wingield says new team member and first-time series shearer Callum O'Brien, from Collie, West Australia, is up to the class needed to help Australia stay on top in the contest pitting the three shearers from each country in a battle over Kiwi favourites the strongwooled crossbred and lambs, and Australian enemy the finewooled merino.

As if taking the lead from Warnest, who said after the win 12 months ago it was time for the younger ones to step up and he wouldn't be yielding if they weren't good enough to put him out of the team, the 31-year-old O'Brien qualified by beating Warnest in the Australian championships final in Perth in September.

Wingfield said after watching O'Brien in today's Golden Shears Open championships heats: "Callum's a good replacement, and he's just shorn well. It's his first Goldies, and that's always a bit nerve-wracking."

Wingfield recalled his own first appearance at the Golden Shears came after several appearances at the New Zealand championships in Te Kuiti and said: "You'd think that would prepare you for the Golden Shears, but it doesn't. The first time was nerve-wracking for me. Geez, it's one of those experiences I'll never forget."

Wingfield, O'Brien and reigning and four-times Australian champion Daniel McIntyre, of Glenn Innes, NSW, face a Saturday night match against the New Zealand team of reigning World champion, Rowland Smith, of Pakipaki, 2014 World champion Rowland Smith, of Maraekakaho, and Southland shearer Nathan Stratford, who won a World teams title with Kirkpatrick two years ago.

The transtasman tests started in 1974, Warnest's ascendancy contributing significantly to trended reversal which has Australia with 34 wins to the 30 won by New Zealand.

Long-serving Australian representative Jason Wingfield takes over the mantle of leader as his team targets another win against New Zealand at the Golden Shears in Masterton tomorrow(March2).
PHOTO/Pete Nikolaison, Golden Shears.

One chance gone, one to go

New Zealand woolhandling champion Sheree Alabaster was a surprise early elimination from the Golden Shears Open championships when the heats were held in Masterton today.

Eight times the New Zealand champion and World champion in 2008, and also the North Island woolhandling delegate to Shearing Sports New Zealand, Alabaster was disappointed but accepted her failure to make the top 16 for the quarterfinal, after a good field of 43 started in the first round.

"That's the way it is," she said, with still a possibly bigger focus ahead in a New Zealand World championships team selection event to be held on the last day of the Shears tomorrow(Saturday).

Also out of the Open was fellow North Island team selection finals qualifier Eramiha Neho, of Dannevirke.

The Open championship's quarterfinals saw that event's field cut to eight for the semi-finals tomorrow afternoon, headed by Pagan Karauria, of Alexandra, becoming a big threat to the hopes of defending champion and warm TAB favourite Joel Henare, of Gisborne, who qualified in second place.

It's a matter of law – Scots lass targets Goldies win

There are those in Scotland who say Katie Reid should be a lawyer.

But tomorrow(Saturday) she could become a Golden Shears shearing champion, and asked what might become of her degree in law from Stirling University she says: "It probably means I'm going to be a farmer."

Her emergence as a prospect for the Junior title at the glamour event of World shearing has come in just a couple of months, with three wins in six finals throughout the country dating back to the Northern Southland Community Shears near Lumsden on January 18 and culminating with wins at Taumarunui last Friday and Pahiatua on Sunday, and third place among 12 in the Golden Shears Junior Championships semi-finals today.

Leading overseas challenger and South Island-based opposition Henry Mayo, from England, was eliminated in the semi-final, the 28-year-old Reid's toughest remaining opposition being top qualifier Topia Barrowcliffe, of Piopio, second-to-top qualifier Brodie Horrell, of Gore, and top North Island hope and fourth-qualifier Atawhai Hadfield, of Ruakituri, Northern Hawke's Bay.

From a farm in Perthshire, where her father is looking after her flock of 100 scottish blackface sheep (the "blackies"), Reid started to come to grips with the woolshed as a woolhandler and crutcher while living in Australia, but returned to Scotland to "get a real job", or more to the point a BA in law.

She returned downunder last summer working for Southern Hawke's Bay contractors Paewai Mullins Shearing, and came back this summer buoyed by some success in the UK, and armed with extra skills from the shearing courses in Britain.

While clearly superior in the first of the two semi-final heats today, she said: "I don't know if I'm in the final yet."

She needn't have worried, and by the time she flies home on Wednesday for the lambing beat, accompanied by partner and Ireland World championships team member Denis O'Sullivan she will have at least a Golden Shears ribbon of one of the six hues.

No woman has yet won the Golden Shears Open, Senior or Intermediate titles, and if Reid has her day she will be only the third to win the Junior title, after Canadian Fiona Nettleton in 1988 and Jane Leogreen, of Dannevirke, in 1995. Only nine winners in the grades have come from overseas.

Katie Reid, of Perthshire, Scotland, in today's Golden Shears Junior shearing championships semi-final in Masterton. She qualified in third p;lace of six for Saturday's final.
PHOTO/Pete Nikolaison, Golden Shears.

A name on the map, for Hanson and Eketahuna

Woolhandling Ngaio Hanson will face one of the most important day of her own, her family's and her town's history with the shearing industry after winning a place in tomorrow's Shearing Sports New Zealand World championships woolhandling team selection showdown at the Golden Shears in Masterton.

Possible the bolter in a field of eight qualified for the final stages of the protracted selection process, the 29-year-old born and bred, and remaining, in Eketahuna, is in her eighth season of Open-class woolhandling, without a single win, and having reached only a small number of finals.

Her best result was runner-up to prolific-winning Golden Shears and World champion Joel Henare in the 2015 New Zealand championships final in Te Kuiti, and beating 2010 World teams champions Keryn Herbert and 2008 World individual champion Sheree Alabaster..

But she takes hope from the achievement of Gisborne woolhandler Maryanne Baty who with just one Open win behind her stepped out of the shadow of prolific-winning stars such as Henare, Alabaster, Herbert and South Island hope Pagan Karuaria in 2016 to win a place in the New Zealand team and claim a World teams title, with Henare, in Invercargill in February the following year.

It's a sport where competitors at all levels are generally close friends, but she concedes it's still good to see the top ones beaten every now and then, such being the case when Baty emerged to grab her black teeshirt at the last minute.

"We're all in the same space," she said as she reflected on the plight of the second tier who can still claim to be among the best in the World but who've had to settle for the minor placings over the last decade or so as Henare, Alabaster, Herbert and Karauria have claimed over 200 titles between them – over 80 per cent of all competitions in New Zealand in that time.

"We were all stoked when she (Baty) made it," said Hanson, who because of other commitments had barely competed in the selection series before Christmas, and hit the start of 2019 just 9th in pursuit of a place in the top four of the North Island section of 12 events.

"I didn't think I would have a show," she said.

But she then put together a string of consistent higher-placed performances, culminating in fourth place overall as the preliminary stage ended at the Pre-Shears Wairarapa Championships in a woolshed north of Masterton on Wednesday.

It pitched Herbert, 2008 World champion Alabaster, and Dannevirke's Eramiha Neho into a battle with South Island series qualifiers Karauria, Henare, Chelsea Collie, of Gore, and Cheri Peterson, of Milton, for New Zealand's two woolhandling places at the World championships on July 1-7 in Le Dorat, Central France.

The eight face a semi-final at the Golden Shears tomorrow morning(Saturday), the top four qualifying for the final on Saturday night, from which the winner and runner-up will go to France with two machine shearers and two blade shearers.

Hanson works in her long-running Braddick family's shearing contracting business now managed by husband Steve Hanson, the biggest employer in Eketahuna, a town 35kms northeast of Masterton with a population struggling to pass 500.

World woolhandling championships selection hopeful Ngaio Hanson, of Eketahuna, in today Golden Shears Open Championship heats. Tomorrow she faces anther challenge in the last stages of a selection series to find two New Zealand woolhandlers for the World championships in France in July.
PHOTO/Pete Nikolaison, Golden Shears

Shears hit top speed in dramatic showdown

Golden Shears officials had to resort to a possible World shearing first in a TMO decision to find a winner in a dramatic speedshear finish in Masterton last night.

The drama came in the last act of the Open Speedshear, with $800 at stake for first prize and ending the first of the three days of the 59th Golden Shears, when Masterton shearer and contractor Paerata Abraham and former World and Golden Shears Open shearing champion Cam Ferguson popped their sheep out and hit their respective stop buttons locked together blow-for-blow in each finishing in a tick over 22 seconds.

But neither Fergsuon's clock nor Abraham's sheep stopped – Ferguson's clock ticking on for another 13 seconds and Abraham's sheep ending its compliance needed to help a shearer complete the job with the necessary speed and quality and leaping off the board in a bid for freedom in the auditorium.

For the first time, and with the would-be fugitive ovine back in custody, frames from the Golden Shears live-streaming were rolled back on the War Memorial Stadium screen to reveal Abraham had hit the button first, completing the job in 22.225sec, Ferguson then being accredited with a time of 22.38sec to take second prize of $400.

Brett Roberts, of Mataura, and Hemi Braddick, of Eketahuna, were placed third and fourth respectively after being beaten in the semi-finals, in which Ferguson posted the night's fastest time of 21.104sec.

Abraham had been top qualifier from the heats to the eight-man quarterfinals.

The Open Speedshear, mirroring dozens of single-sheep contests held around the country each year, attracted 23 competitors, of whom two fell at the first hurdle, their sheep rejected by judges appointed to ensure that while speed was the object the quality was still kept to the highest-possible standard.

The Senior Speedshear also had 23 entries and was won by Connor Puha, of Kimbolton, shearing his final sheep in 26.593sec, outgunning Winton shearer Jade Maguire Ratima by just 0.22sec. Masterton-based Sean Gouk was third and Brandon Maguire Ratima was fourth.

The speedshear was, however, only a prelude to the main event, with the Golden Shears Open and Senior championship heats being held throughout today, along with Open woolhandling heats, together involving about 150 entries taking the number of competitors at the championships close to 400.

Close to events are being decided at the championships, including transtasman tests in woolhandling tonight and shearing tomorrow, when most of the individual titles will be decided.

Masterton shearer Paerata Abraham grabs his sheep as it tried to flee the stage at the end of last night's Golden Shears Open Speedshear final in Masterton.
PHOTO/Pete Nikolaison, Golden Shears.

Teenager grabs a Golden Shears double

An 18-year-old from Masterton’s first family of shearing has created a new piece of Golden Shears history bv winning two Golden Shears titles within a few minutes in his home-town today.

Adam Gordon won both the shearing and the woolhandling Novice titles, the moment captured by commentator Koro Mullins soon afterwards during a live-streaming interview, saying: “I don’t think we’ve ever had anyone up here with two red ribbons before.”

He became only the second competitor to win Golden Shears titles in the separate crafts of shearing and woolhandling, but in winning the shearing final emulated the feats of sister and 2008 winner Cushla, and brother David, who won at the 50th Golden Shears in 2010.

While from a family which is shearing through-and-through, with father Nuki, sister Samantha and brother Joseph also among the more than 300 competitors at the 59th annual championships, Adam Gordon only learnt to shear at the end of last year, he said.

But he took to it quickly, and while working fulltime as a presser since leaving Wairarapa College in December, after three years in its first fifteen rugby team, he had become a favourite to win the shearing title, after winning at Apiti last Saturday.

The win, while awaiting the final result from the woolhandling final contested a short while earlier, came by the wide margin of over 14pts over runner-up Taylor Lock, of Weber. Gordon had easily the best points across time and quality.

The runner-up in the woolhandling final was Sylvia Dickson, of Eketahuna.

There’s a method to Gordon’s plan, for, like brother David, he plans to shear for a few years and then get a “trade” in building.

The championships continue tomorrow (Friday), feature the heats in the glamour Open shearing and woolhandling events, for which the finals feature on the final night on Saturday.

Adam Gordon, of Masterton, with the spoils of a history making two wins on the opening day of the 59th Golden Shears in Masterton. PHOTO/Pete Nikolaison, Golden Shears.

Rookie teens nail students shearing challenge

Two teenagers from a fledgling Southern Hawke's Bay agricultural training farm have become the first winners at the 59th Golden Shears in Masterton.

Former Hastings Boys High School pupil Jesse McIntyre, 18, and from Hastings, and former Napier Boys High School pupil Connor McIntyre, 17, from Pongaroa – who are not related – were among the first two intakes of three cadets a year at A.D.B.Williams Trust's Pukemiro Station, east of Dannevirke.

Today they took Pukemiro to victory in the second Golden Shears Life Members Student Shearing Challenge, which also attracted teams from Smedley, in Central Hawke's Bay, Waipaoa, north of Gisborne, and Rathkeale College, near Masterton.

Golden Shears president Sam Saunders said it was good to see the young shearers getting a start. "We hope they get the bug," he said.

The winners had only recently completed their first shearing course, under the guidance of trainers Mark Buick and Russell Knight, Connor McIntyre showing early signs of "the bug" by competing at the Dannevirke A and P Show on February 1 and the Apiti and District Show last Saturday, when he was third in the Novice event.

It was teammate Jesse McIntyre's first competition, but there would be more at Masterton for both. They each qualified for the semi-finals of the Novice Shearing Championship.

Jeese McIntyre, of Hastings, shearing to Pukemiro Station's win in the students challenge among teams from four agricultural training courses.

Connor McIntyre, of Pongaroa, shearing to Pukemiro Station's win in the students challenge among teams from four agricultural training courses.

Golden Shears life member Selwyn Tomlin about to present winning ribbons to Pukemiro Station's steam of Connor McIntyre and Jesse McIntyre on the opening day of the Golden Shears in Masterton today.

Big day for younger competitors at Golden Shears

The 59th Golden Shears have started strongly with more than 150 competitors in shearing, woolhandling and woolpressing events in the opening sessions of the three-day annual championships.

With strong and growing support from agricultural training institutions, there were near record entries in the Novice shearing and woolhandling events which later in the day will have the first of more than 20 finals at the championships, held in Masterton's War Memorial Stadium since the inception in 1961.

The Novice shearing attracted 46 entries, there were 28 in the Novice woolhandling, 17 in the Junior woolhandling and 14 in the first woolpressing event, while almost 50 were in the Junior shearing heats also well under way by midday.

With Intermediate shearing and Senior woolhandling heats in the afternoon it was expected that more than 200 people will have competed on the opening day, mainly from New Zealand but also including shearers and woolhandlers from England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, Germany, Spain, Canada and Australia.

Golden Shears president Sam Saunders, whose daily duties as "runner" typified commitment an input of those helping the championships tick-over, was enthralled as he reflected on the youth of the competitors, at a time when the industry has been crying-out for more young people to become involved.

"This is brilliant," he said. "It's exactly what we're looking for."

The first-day events include the Golden Shears Life Members Student Shearing Challenge, with competitors from four secondary and tertiary institutions offering agricultural training.

Among the competitors shaping up for a busy day was Masterton teenager Adam Gordon, who was the top qualifier in the Novice shearing heats, and second-to-top qualifier in the Novice woolhandling heats, with semi-finals and possibly finals to follow before late afternoon.

The Goodger brothers, also from Masterton, looked again set to dominate the woolpressing, with Vincent and Jeremy qualifying for tomorrow's semi-final but also shearing alongside each other in the Junior shearing heats.

Brother Jeremy (left) and Vincent Goodger, of Masterton, compete alongside each other in a Junior shearing championships heat on the first morning of the 59th Golden Shears in Masterton, shortly after the wtwo had qualified for the Men's woolpressing semi-finals.

Crowds at the opening sessions of the 59th Golden Shears today in Masterton's War Memorial Stadium, boosted by families of agricultural trainees competing for the first time.

Karauria gets big win on the eve of Golden Shears

Newest Master Woolhandler Pagan Karauria got Golden Shears week off to a big start when she won the Pre-Shears Wairarapa Open Championship yesterday.

Among the vanquished in the final at the one-day championships at Massey University's Riverside Farm at Mikimiki, north of Masterton, was reigning Golden Shears and World Champion Joel Henare.

While enjoying the typical strong friendship common among the competitors they're now pitched into near war as they chase the big gold at the 59th Golden Shears which started in Masterton today and end on Saturday.

Karauria, acclaimed a Master Woolhandler in August last year, of Alexandra and daughter of three-times Golden Shears Open woolhandling winner Tina Rimene, from Masterton, will be shooting for her first Golden Shears Open title while Henare will be going for a 6th in a row.

In a separate eight-competitor showdown Karauria will be trying to win hire first place at the World Championships, while Henare, from Gisborne, will be trying to win a place for the championships in France to defend the title to win a third individual World title, and defend the title he won in Invercargill in 2017.

In the shadow of Henare throughout her 13-season Open-class career, the 30-year-old Karauria yesterday claimed her 20th Open title in New Zealand, while Henare has won more than 100 finals.

The runner-up yesterday was Keryn Herbert, from Te Awamutu and another strong Golden Shears prospect, while Henare had to settle for 4th place, pipped for third place by Masterton woolhandler Samantha Gordon, one of eight Gordon family members who will be competing at the Golden Shears.

Former World champion and eight times New Zealand Shears Open champion Sheree Alabaster, of Taihape, just missed a place in the final of the event, which attracted 29 of the day's 61 competitors across the three grades.

The championships provided the first Senior win for Gisborne competitor Tramon Campbell, while in-form Southland woolhandler Krome Elers, of Mataura, won the Junior final.