Southland’s Leon Samuels won the New Zealand Shears open final in Te Kuiti on Saturday night and is in the New Zealand team to compete at the World Championships. He became the first South Island shearer to win either the New Zealand Shears or Golden Shears open title in three decades. The 39-year-old claimed the second New Zealand team berth for the World Championships in Scotland alongside Hawke’s Bay shearer Rowland Smith, who won the Golden Shears Open for an eighth time four weeks ago.
Angela Stevens has won the New Zealand Shears Open woolhandling final, in Te Kuiti. Angela is the 31-year-old daughter of John Kirkpatrick and is expecting her fourth child in late June — the woolhandler triumphing on Saturday night despite being 27 weeks pregnant.
