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.

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.

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.

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

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 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.

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.

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."

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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