Credit: Newshub
Pagan Karauria has started the shearing sports season off on a high by taking out the Open Woolhandling title for the third time in four years with the opposition, Nathan Stratford, winning the Open Shearing Final for a fourth time.
Karauria won the Woolhandling Merino Final in 2015 and 2016 and was runner-up last year to World Champion Joel Henare, while Stratford has shorn the shearing final 15 times, winning previously in 2008, 2009 and 2016.
It was a big weekend for Karauria and her family as she was awarded the Master Woolhandler Award and her father, Dion Morrell a champion shearer and current Merino Championships president, was awarded the Murray McSkimming Memorial trophy for his contribution to merino shearing.
Results from the New Zealand Merino Shearing and Woolhandling Championships at Alexandra on Friday and Saturday September 28-29, 2018 are as followed:
Shearing:
Open Final: Nathan Stratford (Invercargill) 103.1167pts, 1; Damien Boyle (Tangerup, West Australia) 103.1485pts, 2; Grant Smith (Rakaia) 110.564pts, 3; Stacey Te Huia (Forbes NSW/Te Kuiti) 111.463pts, 4; Brett Roberts (Mataura) 120.211pts, 5; Colin O'Neill (Alexandra) 120.216pts, 6. Senior final: Mitchell Murray (Amberley) 79.447pts,
1; Scott Cameron (Alexandra) 90.961pts, 2; Duncan Leslie (Owaka) 92.1575pts, 3; Alex Smith (Rakaia) 96.9215pts, 4 Duncan Higgins (Havelock) 107.2125pts, 5; Lionel Taumata (Gore/Taumarunui) 114.5345pts, 6.
Woolhandling:
Open Final: Pagan Karauria (Alexandra) 152.832pts, 1; Joel Henare (Motueka) 184.694pts, 2; Chelsea Collier (Gore) 186.662pts, 3; Kelly Macdonald (Lake Hawea) 217.75pts, 4.
Senior Final: Linda Duncan (Alexandra) 179.7pts, 1; Chenelle Waihape (Mataura) 260.5pts, 2; Aiesha Thompson (Napier) 271.332pts, 3; Rangitai Wainohu (-) 280.708pts, 4. Junior final: Amberlee Kahukura (Omakau) 138.794pts, 1; Sunni Te Whare Ohai) 173.788pts, 2; Cheyenne Howden (Feilding) 230.97pts, 3; Sarah Davis (Napier) 294.026pts, 4.