Kiwi favourite bids for big double at World champs
World woolhandling championship favourite Joel Henare has made a big move towards a vaunted double by being the top qualifier for Southland All Nations Open warm-up event in Invercargill. Henare(pictured), the 2012 World champion who later became the youngest ever acclaimed by Shearing Sports New Zealand as a Master Woolhandler, strove to win both the All Nations and World titles when the World shearing and woolhandling championships were last held in Ireland in May 2014. He missed the cut f...
February 9, 2017Near sellout at World shears champs in Invercargill
World shearing and woolhandling championships organisers have just announced a near sell-out of the last two nights on Friday and Saturday in Invercargill. Event media manager Nick Jeffrey said that while tickets are available for tonight's World Championship Speedshear, tomorrow night is sold out and barely 100 tickets remain available for the finals night, which with extra tiered seating brought into the ILT Stadium Southland stadium will boost the crowd for the showdown to over 4000. Shea...
February 9, 2017South African blades guns step-up the pace at World Champs
The might of the South African shearing team has shown its class in the semi-finals of the Southland All Nations blade shearing championship in Invercargill today on the second day of the four-day 40th anniversary World shearing and woolhandling championships. Clearly beaten by New Zealander hope Tony Dobbs in the heats on Wednesday, Bangani Joel (pictured) and Meyenzeke Shweni turned the tables in the semi-finals, making themselves favourites for tomorrow's All Nations final, and the World Bl...
February 9, 2017Napier family scores big at World shearing champs
A young Napier woman playing a key role in the computer points scoring at the World shearing and woolhandling championships in Invercargill has taken her place on the board made her way to the Southland All Nations Senior woolhandling final. Angela Stevens is part of Shearing Sports New Zealand's computer points-scoring team, along with mum Raylene Kirkpatrick, and is secretary of its North Island arm. But, wait, there's more. Father John Kirkpatrick, a two-times World teams machine shearing...
February 9, 2017Bell’s ringing up the form in World Champs bid
An up-and-coming Hawke's Bay shearer with hopes of leaping from Senior class competition into World Championships semi-final contention has kept alive his prospects of a warm-up event victory at the four-day World shearing and woolhandling championships in Invercargill. Aaron Bell(pictured), a Central Hawke's Bay College old boy from Waipawa, today qualified in second place for tomorrow night's Southland All Nations Championship Senior shearing final. But between times he has the World Champ...
February 9, 2017Young overseas hopes dominate Kiwis in support event
Four overseas shearers have made the six-man final of the Southland All Nations Intermediate machine shearing championship which will be one of the first finals decided during the 40th anniversary World shearing and woolhandling championships in Invercargill. The final will be shorn at the end of the third day on Friday night, along with five other finals in the open-entry All Nations championships which double as a chance for nationally-selected World Championships competitors to prepare in N...
February 9, 2017It’s not all play
It's not all play for the competitors at the World sheep shearing and woolhandling championships which ended their second day in Invercargill's ILT Stadium Southland today. Among those both competing and working is Central Otago shearing family member Pagan Rimene, who overcoming the disappointment of just missing on New Zealand team selection has returned from working in Australia to compete in the All Nations woolhandling and shearing events, as well as work as part of the woolhandling team ...
February 9, 2017Streaming ahead at the World Champs – Day Two
The World shearing and woolhandling championships are being watched live around the World thanks to the livestreaming of the event from the championships website (www.worldshearingchamps.com). The streaming is also being carried by Maori Tv (www.maoritelevision.com) and includes streaming-specific commentary and interviews throughout every minute of the four-day championships, along with highlights packages. The championships in Invercargill's ILT Stadium Southland entered the second day wit...
February 9, 2017Aussie Blades hope is a machine gun as well
Australian World shearing and woolhandling championships blade shearing gun Johnathan Dalla (pictured) has been so busy on the farm at home he's barely had the chance to shear the sheep he would have liked to have going into the big event in Invercargill. At 28, eight times Australian blade shearing champion and already in his fourth World championships, the farmer from York Peninsula in South Australia arrived in New Zealand only on Monday, having had to cope with a wheat, barley and oats har...
February 9, 2017Dobbs dominates on opening day
New Zealand blade shearer Tony Dobbs has taken the first jump on his opposition ahead of the World blade shearing championships with a top performance in the Southland All Nations blade shearing heats on the opening day of the 2017 World shearing and woolhandling champinoships in Invercargill. Dobbs, a Fairlie farmer who came out of shearing retirement to shear for New Zealand at the 2014 World Championships in Ireland and finish third, is targeting defending World champion Mayenzeke and fello...
February 8, 2017Results - Wednesday 8 February
Results from the opening day of the World shearing and woolhandling championships being held at ILT Stadium Southland, Invercargill, NZ, on February 8-11, 2017: All Nations Championships Shearing: All Nations Senior heats (3 sheep, top 12 shearers to semi-final): Jade Maguire (Winton NZ) 4min 49.218sec, 18.461pts, 1; Hararei Te Whata (Mossburn NZ) 5min 0.124sec, 21.339pts, 2; Paraki Puna (Napier NZ) 5min 3.263sec, 21.496pts, 3; Nick Greaves (England) 4min 57.117sec, 21.856pts, 4; Luis Pinc...
February 8, 2017French connection claims first victory at World shears
A small band of committed French enthusiasts has scored the first win of the 2017 World shearing and woolhandling championships in Invercargill by winning a bid to stage the next championships in France in two years' time. Following Northern Ireland's withdrawal, France was the only applicant at today's meeting of the Golden Shears World Council on the first-day of the current championships in ILT Stadium Southland, the southernmost venue used for the event since it was first held in England in...
February 8, 2017Great start for the Kiwi hope in All Nations Blades
New Zealand blade shearer Tony Dobbs has taken the first jump on his opposition for the World title by with a top performance in the Southland All Nations blade shearing championship in Invercargill today. Dobbs, a Fairlie farmer who came out of shearing retirement to shear for New Zealand at the 2014 World Championships in Ireland and finish third, is targeting defending World champion Mayenzeke and fellow South African blades master Bangani Joel who he must beat to win the big blade shearing...
February 8, 2017The Rock of the USA
Woolhandler and Montana rancher Leann Brimmer could well be described as the rock around which the USA team at the 40th World Shearing and Woolhandling Championships is built. As the 40th anniversary championships started in Invercargill's ILT Stadium today it was barely 24 hours since her arrival, into which she'd already managed half a day at work in a woolshed after a journey of over 49 hours since a departure delayed by her need to stage the US National shearing and wool handling champions...
February 8, 2017World Champs in a $40 Million Woolshed
The 40th anniversary World shearing and woolhandling championships start today in Invercargill with organising committee chairman and former champion shearer Tom Wilson balancing the odds firmly in the favour of success over the next four days. "There's more that has gone right than has gone wrong," he said today in ILT Stadium Southland, the major sports venue which has been transformed into a $40 million woolshed, where about 4500 sheep will be shorn, watched by thousands ranging from people...
February 8, 2017Wales on the prowl as Kiwis dominate shears hopes
For home team New Zealand the goals at the World shearing and woolhandling championships in Invercargill this week are lofty and demanding. Fans expect machine shearers John Kirkpatrick and Nathan Stratford, woolhandlers Joel Henare and Mary-Anne Baty, and blade shearers Tony Dobbs and Phil Oldfield to add to New Zealand's total of more than 30 machine shearing and woolhandling individual and teams titles in the 16 championships since the first in England in 1977. But it's different for other ...
February 8, 2017World shearing champs ready to roll in Invercargill
Hundreds of shearers and woolhandlers have arrived in Southland for the 40th anniversary World Shearing and Woolhandling Championships. The four-day event opening tomorrow (Wednesday) is being held in Invercargill's ILT Stadium Southland, a major sports and entertainment centre built more for such events as basketball and netball but this week becoming a woolshed with a six-stand shearing board and seating for about 3000 expected to watch Saturday night's six finals. The event opens with a d...
February 7, 2017A chat with Ffion & Robyn (Wales)
It's not often you get to compete at a World Championships. It's not often you get to do it alongside your best friend. Ffion Jones and Robyn Charlton are going to do just that at the 2017 World Shearing and Woolhandling Championships....
February 7, 2017A chat with Rachel Lumley (England)
England woolhandler Rachel Lumley spoke with us at the International Training Days at Mount Linton Station last week. We chatted about her build-up to the 2017 World Shearing and Woolhandling Championships and about her passionate advocacy for the agricultural sector back home in the United Kingdom....
February 7, 2017A chat with Loren Opstedahl (USA)
Loren Opstedahl is in for a busy World Championships, having entered in both the machine and blade shearing disciplines. We spoke with him at the recent International Training Days at Mount Linton Station in Western Southland to find out about shearing back home in the United States and which of the two shearing disciplines he prefers....
February 6, 2017ILT Stadium Southland coming together for World Champs
In a matter of hours, ILT Stadium Southland has been transformed into the world's greatest shearing shed. Thanks to the tireless work of the Otago Shears' committee and their band of merry helpers, the stand and pens are in place with just some finishing touches to come across the next two days. Check out their work below and keep an eye out for updates behind the scenes between now and the start of the Championships on Wednesday. ...
February 6, 2017Japan fields first World Champs team
After seven years as Japan's sole international shearer New Zealand-based Shun Oishi has learnt to take all of his triumphs in context. But within a few days he will have achieved two of his biggest, after winning an Intermediate final at Reefton on Saturday. Next, comes his attendance at the World Championships starting in Invercargill on Wednesday, alongside a Japanese teammate for the first time. It's not to say he's not experienced at both – winning and competing at World championships â...
February 6, 2017A chat with Alan MacDonald - 1994 World Champion
1994 World Individual Shearing Champion Alan MacDonald joins us at last week's International Training Days at Mount Linton Station in Western Southland. He talks us through the technical improvements he has seen from the competitors, his involvement in the Championships and his "political" role, along with Dion Morrell, in selecting the sheep for the Champs. Listen to our chat below....
February 6, 2017TAB options open for World Championships
The importance of home advantage looks like it will be a major factor when the World Championship titles are handed out on Saturday in Invercargill, according to the TAB. A long-time supporter of Shearing Sports New Zealand, the TAB has opened its book on the 2017 World Shearing and Woolhandling Championships which begin on Wednesday at ILT Stadium Southland. New Zealand Woolhandler Joel Henare is the shortest of favourites, opening at just $1.50 to win his second World Championship. The 25-ye...
February 6, 2017Marlborough shearer 'sorted' for international competition
Crutching 1000 lambs could prove the ideal warm up for Marlborough shearer Sarah Higgins as she heads to the All Nations shearing championships in Invercargill. Higgins is the sole Marlborough shearer competing at the All Nations event which has drawn 400 entries. "It's part of my practise run towards the championships," she said. "The event breaks into the normal work schedule so I will work up to the day before I leave to go south. "It should be good preparation when I get down there." Th...
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