Te Kuiti’s Jack Fagan and Pongaroa’s David Buick have celebrated a test shearing win for New Zealand.
Te Kuiti’s Jack Fagan and Pongaroa’s David Buick
It was the second success for The Wools of New Zealand Shearing Sports New Zealand shearing team in a matter of days on its six-match tour of the Europe.
The win came at the French championships on Saturday in Martel as Fagan and Buick beat the French team of brothers Gilles and Pierre Renton.
Fagan won the French final in 2016 and 2017, following father Sir David Fagan’s exit from 33 years in Open-class shearing with victory in the event in 2015.
Saturday’s wins came two days after a double at the Great Yorkshire Show, including a win over England, at the Great Yorkshire Show. It meant the Kiwis had won two of the three tests on the annual northern tour that culminates with a three-test series against Wales, at the Cothi Shears on July 24, and the Corwen Shears on July 27.
Te Kuiti’s Jack Fagan, a winner
Both the test and the open final, each of 20 sheep each, were exciting spectacles as Fagan and Pierre Grancher, from Creuse in Central France, battled for the time honours, finishing almost blow for blow.
Grancher was first-off in the test, winning the race by four seconds from Fagan and shearing the 20 sheep in 14m 6s, but the King Country shearer had the better quality points and claimed individual honours by 6.6 of the Kiwis’ winning margin of 8.65pts.
It was much closer in the Open final, where Fagan again posted the better quality points but was also first-off, his 13m 24s pipping Grancher by just two seconds, and claiming the overall win by just 1.2pts.
Team manager Mark Barrowcliffe, of Piopio, said the events and Fagan’s experience on the “tricky little sheep” paid dividends.
The sheep were the French breed caussenade du lot.
A regular in France and a fluent speaker of French, Fagan has now won 22 Open finals, along with 63 speedshear events.
Results:
International (20 sheep): New Zealand (Jack Fagan 14m 10s, 52.25pts; David Buick 14m 26s, 61.95pts) 114.2pts beat France (Pierre Grancher 14m 6s, 58.65pts; Gilles Grancher 15m 32s, 64.2ptspts) 122.85pts.
French all-nations open final (20 sheep): Jack Fagan (Te Kuiti, NZ) 13m 24s, 49pts, 1; Pierre Grancher (Creuse, Central France) 13m 26s, 50.2pts, 2; Jeremy Leygonie Martel, Southwest France) 14m 12s, 53.3pts, 3; Gilles Grancher (Alpes, Southeast France) 14m 41s, 53.35pts, 4.
Pongaroa’s David Buick, team manager Mark Barrowcliffe, of Piopio and Jack Fagan of Te Kuiti.
