Ferguson grabs top title on first attempt | Wairarapa News | Local News in Wairarapa

The torch has passed to a new generation of Golden Shears champions with the stunning success of relative rookie Cam Ferguson over the old guard to win the country's top shearing title.
Ferguson, 26, a Waipawa father of three, is a decade younger than most of his finals rivals and, in securing the championship mantle, had to beat the best in the country. Although he has shorn at the Shears for four years, this was his first open final.
In snatching victory he put paid to giants of the sport such as 16-times Golden Shears champion David Fagan and previous champions John Kirkpatrick and Dion King.
Also left in his wake were Dean Ball who, although never a Shears champion, has been in ''bridesmaid'' roles over many years, and the other up-and-coming figure of this year's final, Nathan Stratford.
While his name was announced as winner on the presentation podium, Ferguson retained his reputation as a cool, unflappable customer of few words. But when handed the coveted trophy, he could not resist holding it aloft and revealing his joy.
Looking towards where his partner, Teresa, family and friends were sitting in the stadium, Ferguson declared: ''I reckon we did this.''
Earlier, having finished first off the board but not knowing if his shearing quality had allowed him to clinch the title, Ferguson was coaxed into brief comments by commentator Koro Mullins.
Mullins, having teased Ferguson for being ''a bit like the iceman'', got the young shearer to describe his feelings _ for finishing ahead of rivals he must have held in awe _ as being ''incredible'' and ''awesome''.
''I feel good.''
In the final action Ferguson got away to an unhurried start, at one point trailing all five of his rivals.
At the halfway point he tailed the field, with Kirkpatrick being the first into the catching pens from Dean Ball, Dion King, David Fagan, Nathan Stratford and then Ferguson.
But at all times during the mammoth struggle you could have thrown a blanket over the field. Ferguson gradually picked up the pace to be breathing down the neck of Dean Ball going in to collar the 19th sheep.
He was first into the pens for the last of the offerings as, with the crowd going wild, he flew through the long bows and was the first to cut power to his handset.
Then came the 40-minute, anxious wait to see if the judges agreed he had done enough to win.
They did _ and all glory went to the young man, who had been tipped weeks back by none other than Fagan as the man likely to beat them all. In the changing rooms after his win, Ferguson revealed this summer had been a big one for more than just shearing.
Two months ago he and Teresa had celebrated a new arrival to the family _ Kalya, a sister for Axion and Campbell.
Waiting in the wings as a media scrum formed around her husband, Teresa said she was ''extremely proud'' of her man.
''The family was out there screaming for him,'' she said.
''I got a bit carried away, so I am nearly hoarse.''
Ferguson picks up a cheque for $3000 and automatic entry to the New Zealand shearing team to go to the world championships in Wales in June, membership of the New Zealand team to compete in Australia, and a host of other prizes and trophies.
Former Masterton shearer John Kirkpatrick, now of Napier, put in a tremendous performance to just fail in his bid to recapture the crown. Two-times Golden Shears champion Kirkpatrick had been a shock omission from last year's final, having been knocked out of the competition on points after badly cutting a sheep.
His effort this time, although not good enough to win, showed he still has enough petrol in the tank to be a serious contender next year.
The surprise this year was the failure of world champion shearer Paul Avery to get into the final six.
Avery was knocked out at semifinal level and the loss may well see him bow out of top-line competitive shearing.
On learning he had not done enough to get into the final, a disappointed Avery said he did not think he would be back to compete next year.
''This is probably my last time, after all I am really a farmer who shears a bit.''
Crowd favourite Fagan, who finished in third spot in the final, showed he is still very competitive but, not surprisingly, may finally be succumbing to age and the challenge of the younger brigade.
Fagan has been a Shears regular for 24 years _ nearly half the event's history _ and had never expected to win this year, tipping the eventual winner to be the man to beat.