Southland shearers Leon returned from the North Island on Sunday "gutted" that a change in Covid-19 alert levels has robbed them of their chance to compete at the Golden Shears Open shearing final this week.

Recent strong performances by Leon Samuels and Nathan Stratford, of Invercargill, meant all eyes were on them as the biggest hopes for the first South Island win in the Golden Shears Open shearing final in 32 years.

However, the Covid-19 pandemic crisis ended that dream for 2021 on Sunday (February 28), when organisers announced the cancellation of the 61st Golden Shears, after the Government announced on Saturday night it was reinstating Covid-19 Alert Level 2 throughout the country, with Auckland on Level 3.

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The event was to have started in Masterton on Thursday (March 4) and finished on Saturday night (March 7) and would have drawn much larger crowds than the permitted 100 people under Level 2.

Stratford, Samuels and Brett Roberts, of Mataura, were competing at the Apiti Show in Manawatu on Saturday, and had built on their Golden Shears prospects with a first, third and fourth respectively in a six-man final over 20 sheep.

Samuels had signalled his strength three weeks earlier, with a win at the Aria Waitangi Sports Open final, becoming the first South Island shearer to win an Open final on the predominant crossbred and strongwool types in more than a decade. 

Stratford is a past winner on the National Circuit and other South Island shearers have won national circuit titles at the Golden Shears.

Stratford and Samuels were runners-up to seven-times Golden Shears Open winner and Hawke’s Bay shearer Rowland Smith in last year’s final.

Roberts, with Golden Shears wins in the Junior and Senior grades behind him and two show wins this summer, was a strong candidate to reach the Open final for the first time – a goal he says is the focus of his entire season’s shearing each year.

The South Island had a fourth strong final hope in defending circuit champion and Marlborough shearer Angus Moore, who had a win at the Kaikoura A and P Show.

All four southern shearers plan to be lining up at the New Zealand Shears in Te Kuiti on April 8-10, where the Open final has not been won by a South Island shearer since the 1990s.

David Buick (left) helps Leon Samuels (right) in the pens on Saturday, after missing a place in the final. PHOTO: SSNZ

Waiting at the airport on Sunday afternoon, Samuels said they were all “gutted”, but added: “It is what it is. Let’s hope the New Zealand champs go ahead.”

Moore said he had been working to a plan to peak at Golden Shears. “Oh well, that's what happens sometimes,” he said. 

Other shearing and woolhandling events were also affected by the Covid announcement at the weekend.

The Golden Shears’ hot favourite woolhandler is Gisborne’s Joel Henare, who won the Taumarunui Open woolhandling title, and already has eight Golden Shears titles under his belt.

But he was was runner-up at Apiti, beaten in what was an emotional win for Napier’s woolhandler Angela Stevens.

It was only her second Open final win, at the venue where she first competed, under the mentorship of Aunt and mentor Ronnie Goss, who had died on Friday at Taumarunui.

Shearing Sports New Zealand chairman Sir David Fagan was rapt to hear of a good turnout at the Kaikoura Shears, where there were 21 competitors, including 10 in the Open class.

Shearing was cancelled at Kaikoura last year because of difficulties sourcing suitable sheep.

The show had also been cancelled in 2017 because of the earthquake three months earlier, and was hit hard by heavy rain in 2018.

Sir David said it had been a great credit to those involved in getting the show and the shearing running again.

The wool flies during the Apiti Open woolhandling final, with winner Angela Steves in the foreground. PHOTO: SSNZA

SELECTED RESULTS 

Taumarunui Shears on Friday, February 26, 2021:

Shearing:

Open final (20 sheep); David Buick (Pongaroa) 16min 9.48sec, 56.624pts, 1; Gavin Mutch (Scotland/Dannevirke) 15min 56.91sec, 57.196pts, 2; Toa Henderson (Kaiwaka) 17min 5.23sec, 60.962pts, 3; Rowland Smith (Maraekakaho) 17min 3.31sec, 61.266pts, 4; Brett Roberts (Mataura) 17min 30.23sec, 63.062pts, 5; Digger Balme (Otorohanga) 15min 34.88sec, 65.844pts, 6.

Apiti Shears on Saturday, February 27, 2021:

Shearing:

Open final (20 sheep): Nathan Stratford (Invercargill) 19min 47sec, 66.3pts, 1; Toa Henderson (Kaiwaka) 19min 3sec, 67.55pts, 2; Leon Samuels (Invercargill) 19min 7sec, 68.45pts, 3; Brett Roberts (Mataura) 19min 31sec, 69.65pts, 4; Aaron Haynes (Feilding) 20min 12sec, 70.5pts, 5; James Ruki (Te Kuiti) 21min 22sec, 75.3pts, 6. 

Senior final (10 sheep): Chris Dickson (Masterton) 10min 27sec, 43.05pts, 1; Reuben Alabaster (Taihape) 10min 47sec, 45.05pts, 2; Jayden Mainland (Wellsford) 11min 16sec, 46.2pts, 3; Brook Hamerton (Hastings) 11min 36sec, 47.2pts, 4; Gethin Lewis (Wales) 11min 23sec, 48.55pts, 5; Brayden Clifford (Waikaka) 12min 8sec, 49.1pts, 6.   

Woolhandling: 

Open final: Angela Stevens (Napier) 72.75pts, 1; Joel Henare (Gisborne) 79.12pts, 2; Sheree Alabaster (Taihape) 100.906pts, 3; Keryn Herbert (Te Kuiti) 109.06pts, 4.