David Buick on his way to winning the open event at the Manawatu Show. PHOTO/SUPPLIED
SHEARING
New Zealand representative David Buick won for the first time this season at the Manawatu Show in Feilding on Saturday.
It was just reward for the 41-year-old farmer from Pongaroa who’s become the everywhere-man of New Zealand shearing.
In July, he flew to Britain at a few hours’ notice to replace injured national team member Cam Ferguson for a test series in Wales and he’s now competed on all six weekends of the new season to date – from Warrnambool in Australia to Alexandra and Waimate in the South Island.
It won’t be slowing down with Buick heading south for the national corriedale championships in Christchurch on Friday before heading back for the Central Hawke’s Bay A and P Show the next day in Waipukurau.
Saturday’s win was his 20th in an open-class career now in its 18th season, and his eighth at the Manawatu show, dating back to the first win in the intermediate final in 1998.
It was effectively a two-man race on Saturday with Buick shearing the 20 woolly ewes in 18 minutes and seven seconds to pip Scottish international and Whangamomona shearer, Gavin Mutch, by barely a second before taking the win by just 0.65pts. Third was to Axle Reid, from Taihape.
Eketahuna shearer Chris Dickson was beaten on second countback in the senior final by Simon Goss, of Mangamahu, Rangitieki.
They were tied on total points and on pen points, with Goss getting the nod with the best board result, by just 0.4 points.
Daniel Biggs, of Mangamahu, continued his domination of North Island intermediate finals with a win by just 0.2 points over runner-up Tawera Brown, of Martinborough.
Adam Gordon, of Masterton won the junior final and Josh Devane, of Taihape, won the novice event.
The show attracted 52 entries in the shearing events, including 25 in the junior and novice grades, and 26 in woolhandling events.
