Former Invercargill shearer Troy Pyper, now of Cheviot, ended the lamb shearing dominance of Wairarapa shearer David Buick at the Mackenzie A and P Show’s New Zealand Lamb Shearing Championships in Fairlie on Easter Monday (April 5).

Pyper claimed victory by just 0.02pts from runner-up Leon Samuels, of Invercargill.

Buick had a rare finals blemish and had to settle for sixth place, having just two days earlier at the Oxford A and P Show scored his 10th win in 10 finals this season.

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Buick did, however, do enough to extend his lead in the national rankings and has four Open shearing titles on the line at the season-ending New Zealand Shears in Te Kuiti this week (Thursday-Saturday).

Pyper became the first South Island shearer to claim the No 1 ranking during last year’s shortened shearing season.

On Monday he whipped through the 20 lambs of the six-man final n 11min 14.68sec, an average of less than 38 seconds each, caught, shorn and dispatched.

It gave him a time-points buffer of 0.618pts which Samuels all-but pulled back with the better quality points, including a penalty of just 0.85pts on the shearing board. 

Pleasant Point shearer Ant Frew was third, with Nathan Stratford of Invercargill less than 0.0004pts back in fourth.

RESULTS from the Mackenzie A and P Show and New Zealand Lambshearing Championships at Fairlie on Monday, April 5, 2021:

Shearing:

Open final (20 lambs): Troy Pyper (Cheviot) 11min 14.68sec, 41.3494pts, 1; Leon Samuels (Invercargill) 11min 29.03sec, 41.3514pts, 2; Ant Frew (Pleasant Point) 12min 40.69sec, 45.1114pts, 3; Nathan Stratford (Invercargill) 12min 37.62sec, 45.1118pts, 4; Ringakaha Paewai (Gore) 12min 31.47sec, 45.1889pts, 5.

Senior final (8 lambs): Brayden Clifford (Waikaka) 8min 54.63sec, 33.2315pts, 1; Pagan Karauria (Alexandra) 9min 13.78sec, 36.064pts, 2; Philip Price (Wales) 8min 54.56sec, 36.103pts, 3.

Woolhandling:

Open final: Pagan Karauria (Alexandra) 36.02pts, 1; Candy Hiri (Mataura) 41.32pts, 2; Nova Kumeroa Elers (Mataura) 47.53pts, 3; Amber Poihipi (Ohai) 47.91pts, 4. 

Senior final: Krome Elers (Mataura) 95.248pts, 1; Destiny Paikea (Heriot) 112.03pts, 2; Sarah Davis 113.306pts, 3.

Novice: Lucy Gee Taylor (Kimbolton) 54.94pts, 1; Kiera Tarras (Gore) 59.37pts, 2; Janine Rawiri (Gore) 72.96pts, 3; Darian Little (Gore) 79pts, 4. 

RESULTS of the Oxford A and P Show shears on Saturday, April 3, 2021:

Shearing:

Senior final (8 sheep): Brayden Clifford (Waikaka) 10min 21.69sec, 35.58pts, 1; Taare Edwards (Ashburton) 11min 20.21sec, 40.89pts, 2; Isaac Duckmanton (Christchurch) 10min 40.22sec, 42.51pts, 3.