Dipton shearer Corey Palmer achieved a major milestone in his career by winning the South Island Shearer of the Year final at the Southern Shears in Gore on Saturday. The victory marked one of the biggest upset wins in recent Open-class shearing competitions in New Zealand.
Palmer had not won a final since moving up from the Senior grade, where he claimed six victories in the 2012-2013 season, including the 2013 Golden Shears Senior title. However, he had been consistently improving, finishing third in the Otago Shears Open final just a week earlier.
In Saturday’s final, one of two 20-sheep Open contests at the last major South Island event before the Golden Shears, Palmer secured his win by 1.167 points over runner-up Jack Fagan of Te Kuiti. Fagan was first to finish in 17 minutes and 19.34 seconds, beating Palmer by more than 50 seconds, but Palmer’s superior quality points sealed the win. Casey Bailey of Riverton finished third, followed by Angus Moore of Marlborough, Justin Meikle of Oamaru, and David Buick of Wairarapa.
Palmer’s triumph capped a busy day, which included two preliminary rounds and a sixth-place finish in the Southern Shears Open final. Northland’s Toa Henderson, the defending South Island Shearer of the Year champion, opted to focus on the Open final instead. His decision paid off, as he edged out Bailey by just under half a point to claim the title.
Henderson completed the 20-sheep final in 16 minutes and 22.96 seconds, finishing 23.79 seconds ahead of Bailey. Buick secured third place, while Rowland Smith, a multiple-time World Championships representative, finished fourth. Former World champion John Kirkpatrick took fifth, with Palmer rounding out the top six.
Henderson also played a crucial role in the North Island’s victory in the inter-island shearing test, where he earned individual honours by 0.053 points. Supported by teammates Buick and David Gordon, the North Island team secured the win by less than two points.
Other notable results included Bruce Grace winning the Senior final by a narrow margin, South Australian shearer Daniel Michelmore claiming the Intermediate title, and Oamaru’s Tye Meikle adding another win to his successful season. Masterton’s Aimee Atkin won the Novice event, while Wyndham’s Emma Martin took first place in the women’s competition, completing a successful two days in which she also won the Senior woolhandling title.