Style won over speed in the 48th annual New Zealand Merino Shearing Championships open shearing final in Alexandra on Saturday night.
Alexandra shearer Colin "Mouse" O'Neill was first to finish shearing 12 merino wethers from Earnscleugh in the final against five other top shearers, including Nathan Stratford, from Invercargill, and David Fagan, from Te Kuiti.
An enthusiastic home crowd immediately started celebrating O'Neill's speed, although once all points had been collated it became apparent Stratford had taken the national open title with his meticulous style.
O'Neill had to be content with third place, behind Western Australian shearer Damien Boyle.
His brother, Charlie O'Neill, also from Alexandra, finished fourth, ahead of Rakaia shearer Grant Smith and Fagan, in sixth place.
The open woolhandlers' national title was won by Alexandra woman Tina Rimene, who also received the special prize for quality points in heats, as well as the Gina Nathan Memorial Trophy for being the finalist with the best quality points accumulated over four rounds in the open woolhandling.
Fellow Alexandra woolhandler Taiwha Nelson finished second, while south Otago woman Monica Potae and Gore woolhandler Sharon Lawton came third and fourth respectively.
Peter Lyon Shearing team Lyon Wannabeez, from Alexandra, won the teams final, and New Zealand beat Australia in both transtasman team challenges.
New Zealand Merino Championships Team shearers James Fagan and Maaka Rangiwai beat Bendigo Northern Shears Team counterparts Scott Perry and Aaron Hope in the Invitation Team vs Bendigo Australia competition.
Fagan also won with fellow New Zealand Merino Shearing Team shearer Cam Ferguson against two Australian teams in the New Zealand vs Australian Invitation Shearing Challenge.
A total 1250 merino wethers from the Ida Valley and Earnscleugh were shorn.
The open shearing final was the first and only compulsory round of six in the PGG Wrightson National Shearer of the Year competition, culminating at the Golden Shears in March.
Saturday night's six open shearing finalists were whittled down from 47 entries - up from the 33 last year.
Twenty teams entered the championships this year, compared with 12 in 2008, and more than 90 woolhandlers competed.
