New Zealanders scored a near clean-sweep at Australia's top crossbred shearing competition at the Warrnambool Show on Saturday.
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NZ competitors won the Open, Senior and Intermediate shearing finals, and the Open and Senior wool handling finals.
But Warrnambool show representatives Glen Stephens, Tyson Scholz and Lee Harris beat the NZ Shears Te Kuiti team of Mark Grainger, David Buick and Dion King in a Trans Tasman challenge that included merinos.
The six-stand Open shearing final (over 15 sheep each) was a near all-Kiwi showdown won by NZ gun Mark Grainger, a winner of five show finals in New Zealand over the past three years.
Grainger won his place in the NZ Shears Te Kuiti team by finishing fifth in last season's New Zealand Championships Open final. He beat runner-up David Buick, of Pongaroa, NZ, by 1.37pts.
Dion King, Flaxmere, NZ, first off in just over 12-and-a-half minutes was a further eight-tenths of a point back for third.
Fourth was Queensland-based Jovan Taiki, who was the only finalist not based in NZ, fifth was Hayden Tapp, from Taihape, and sixth was South Otago shearer Jordan Boyes.
The Senior final was won by Victorian-based Karipa Tumohe, from Balclutha, NZ, with Brett Caldwell of Heywood second.
The Intermediate title was won by 2017 NZ Intermediate champion Sean Gouk with Lachlan Bryant, from Rokewood, second and Zac Malisse of Barraba NSW, third.
NZ woolhandler Keri Henare won the Open woollhandling final, beating fellow Kiwis Pagan Karauria and Larnie Morrell. NZ’s Wilz Marshall won the senior wool handling title.
Trans Tasman Challenge (8 sheep): Warrnambool 218.28pts (Glen Stephens 10min 13.53sec, 69.43pts; Tyson Scholz 12min 42.78sec, 72.39pts; Lee Harris 12min 10.53sec, 76.4pts) beat NZ Shears Te Kuiti 229.18pts (Dion King 10min 42.34sec, 72.12pts; David Buick 13min 34.13sec, 76.46pts; Mark Grainger 14min 48.25sec, 80.66pts) by 10.9pts.
Open final (15 sheep): Mark Grainger (Te Kuiti) 13min 3.1sec, 46.89pts, 1; David Buick (Pongaroa) 12min 41.13sec, 48.26spts, 2; Dion King (Flaxmere) 12min 31,87sec, 49.06pts, 3; Jovan Taiki (Porangahau/Longreach Qld) 13min 31.97sec, 52.33pts.
Senior final (6 sheep): Karipa Tumohe (Balclutha/Ararat) 8min 52.21sec, 41.61pts, 1; Brett Caldwell (Heywood) 8min 36.47sec, 44,49pts, 2; Alex Smith 10min 15.28sec, 45.33pts, 3.
Intermediate final (5 sheep): Sean Gouk, 8min 1.19sec, 40.56pts, 1; Lachlan Bryant, 9min 53.96sec, 44.9pts, 2; Zac Malisse, 8min 55.6sec, 45.35pts, 3.