It was close – but there was still a winner

The Intermediate shearing final, over eight sheep each, was always shaping as a close and open affair, and ended with just 0.98 points between first and fourth, the victory going to 27-year-old Feilding shearer Tini Papanui.

Gisborne farmer and shearer Dylan Young won the race in 10m 0.938s, more than a minute quicker than 27-year-old Papanui, the next man off.

Papanui was also just third-best on quality points, but had the best combination to beat eventual runner-up Young by 0.545pts.

The winner had been just starting to emerge in competition shearing at the time of the 2023 Golden Shears, when he was fifth in the Intermediate final, and this season had had just one win, at the Central Hawke's Bay A and P Show in November.