The cream of New Zealand's shearers and woolhandlers will compete in the New Zealand Merino Championships in Alexandra this weekend.
King Country shearer James Fagan is favourite for the main title, after winning the opening event on Shearing Sports New Zealand's annual competition calendar, the Waitaki Mackenzie Merino Shears, at Omarama, on Saturday.
This repeated his success of 2004, when the event was last held.
Mr Fagan, (32), nephew of five-times world champion David Fagan, and son of 1984 Golden Shears champion John Fagan, has never won the championship in Alexandra.
This is the only other fine wool competition in a 66-show national season lasting almost seven months.
The biggest threat this week is Invercargill shearer Nathan Stratford, who was second in Omarama, and who is a past winner of the Alexandra title.
Gisborne teenager Joel Henare won the major woolhandling title in Omarama and will be favoured to win at Alexandra in the absence of Australia-based Wanganui Master Woolhandler Joanne Kumeroa, last year's champion, who is this week chasing her third world title in Norway.
Some of the top names in shearing have registered, with Nathan Stratford, James Fagan, Tony Coster and Dion Morrell lining up in the open event.
Although entries in the senior shearing event are down on the past two years, with just 12 this year, all the other events are on a par, with 37 in the open woolhandling, 33 in the open shearing and 16 in the senior shearing.
The junior woolhandling event has drawn 25 entries.
The two-day competition begins tomorrow morning.
Tomorrow night the Miss Merino Shears Wool Princess will be named.
The open merino shears champion will be known on Saturday night.
