First timer Ferguson wins Golden Shears

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Central Hawke's Bay shearer Cam Ferguson became the youngest Golden Shears open shearing champion in 21 years when he won a spectacular final at his first attempt in Masterton tonight.

Ferguson, 25, ceded at least 10 years in age to four of his five rivals, including reigning champion David Fagan who at the age of 48 was in his 24th final and trying to win the title for a 17th time.

Despite being the youngest in the field, the Te Aute College old-boy was among the favourites after winning six open titles during the summer, including the Otago championship and South Island Shearer of the year finals last months.

The triumph, which includes one of two places in the New Zealand machine shearing championships in Wales in July, was shared by family including partner Teresa, who won her first shearing title on the same day as he won his first open title at Pukekohe three seasons ago.

It was not his first win on shearing's most famous stage, for he won the senior title in 2004 and last year, having just missed out on repeating a semi-final place he achieved a year earlier, he won the Maori-Pakeha teams event with Wairoa shearer Bart Hadfield.

Tonight he was first finished in a dramatics race, taking 16min 36.353sec, nine seconds ahead of 12-times win-less finalist Dean Ball, of Te Kuiti, as just six seconds separated the second to fifth finished, only Southlander Nathan Stratford falling off the pace, but still finishing in 17min 20.286sec.

Ultimately it was a Hawke's Bay quinella as early favourite and 2002 and 2008 champion John Kirkpatrick, of Napier, claimed second place. Fagan was third.

Canterbury shearer Tony Coster had his second successive win in the PGG Wrightson National Series final, in which Ferguson was third.

The New Zealand shearing team of Dean Ball, Tony Cost and Nathan Stratford beat Australians Shannon Warnest, Jason Wingfield and Bill Hutchinson to avenge a loss in last November's trans-Tasman test in Warialda, New South Wales.

While World shearing champion Paul Avery failed to reach the open final and will have to rely on winning at the New Zealand championships in Te Kuiti next month to be able to defend his title, woolhandling champion Sheree Alabaster, of Taihape, will have a chance to retain the title after winning a selection final during the Golden Shears. Second, and joining her in the team, was Keryn Herbert, of Te Awamutu, at the expense of former champion Joanne Kumeroa, who won the world teams title with Alabaster in Norway in 2008.

Gisborne teenager Joel Henare won the Golden Shears open woolhandling title.

- NZPA