World lambshearing record holder and former Golden Shears champion Dion King scored his first win back in New Zealand after several months in Australia when he won the 20-sheep Agrodome Shears open final at the Rotorua A and P Show on Sunday.

King, a Hawke's Bay gun who won the 2006 Golden Shears and who turns 35 this week, had to settle for a well-beaten second off the board as King Country veteran Digger Balme all-but rang a sheep around the whole field.

But he more than made-up for the 40 seconds deficit on time points with a sparkling display of quality shearing on a wet and muggy day to post victory by a comfortable 2.55pts over Balme who managed to survive as runner-up, his best placing of the season. Dean Ball, another King County veteran who a week earlier scored his first win of the season.was third.

King had two wins in New Zealand last summer and shore in both the Golden Shears and New Zealand championships open finals, and joins a growing list of competitors making their presence felt in the buildup to the big events in Masterton in March and Te Kuiti in April leading to Shearing Sports New Zealand naming two machine shearers in its six-strong team for the 14th Golden shears World Shearing and Woolhandling Championships in Wales in July.

Another to step-up the game at the weekend was the youngest of the most genuine World Championships prospects, Waipawa shearer Cam Ferguson, who also banked on quality points to win the Taihape A and P title on Saturday.

Team selection favourite John Kirkpatrick, also of Hawke's Bay, battled both Ball and Balme in the race for fastest time, and finished in 11min 57sec as just six seconds separated the trio. But Ferguson's quality outshone them all, with Ball second after all points were counted, Kirkpatrick third, and Balme fourth.

Gisborne teenager Wi Ngarangione and Hastings-based English shearer Steve Rowberry continued their good form by winning the intermediate and junior titles respectively at both of the weekend competitions. Ngarangione, the country's top-ranked junior last season, has been beaten just once in nine intermedate competitions this season, already forcing his promotion to senior class next season, while Rowberry, who came to New Zealand in October aged 21 and with a Royal Welsh title already to his name and has since won four events down-under, also guaranteeing a regrading at the end of the summer.

Teenaged national woolhandling representative Joel Henare claimed the first North Island woolhandling title since the Christmas break, with a win in Taihape repeating a success of 12 months earlier. Ronnie Goss, of Apiti, was second and World champion Sheree Alabaster, of Taihape, was third.

The top woolhandlers are expected to be all at the Dannevirke Show on Friday and the Rangitikei Sports at Marton on Saturday, continuing the hunt for points to qualify for the World Championships New Zealand team selection finals at the Golden shears next month.

Results:

Taihape Show Shears on Saturday January 30, 2010:

Shearing:

Open Final (15 sheep): Cam Ferguson (Waipawa) 12min 11sec, 44.75pts, 1; Dean Ball (Te Kuiti) 12min 3sec, 45.95pts, 2; John Kirkpatrick (Napier) 11min 57sec, 46.317pts, 3; Digger Balme (Te Kuiti) 12min 1sec, 47.183pts, 4; James Fagan (Te Kuiti) 12min 20sec, 48.4pts, 5.

Senior final (8 sheep): Joe Maher (Taihape) 8min 13sec, 35.65pts, 1; Matene Mason (Masterton) 8min 57sec, 36.725pts, 2; Aaron Haynes (Feilding) 8min 48sec, 36.775pts, 3; David Hape (Dannevirke) 8min 49sec, 36.825pts, 4.

Intermediate final (6 sheep): Wi Ngarangione (Gisborne) 8min 50sec, 35.5pts, 1; Sharni Rimene (Masterton) 8min 47sec, 35.85pts, 2; Corey Mifsud (Australia) 36.917pts, 3; Mike Anderson (Masterton) 9min 5sec, 37.917pts, 4.

Junior final (4 sheep): Steve Rowberry (England) 7min 47sec, 34.35pts, 1; DJ Crawford (Gisborne) 7min 21sec, 35.05pts, 2; Cushla Gordon (Masterton) 9min 14sec, 36.45pts, 3; Henare Niania (Gisborne) 8min 55sec, 37pts, 4.

Woolhandling:

Open final: Joel Henare (Gisborne) 38.88pts, 1; Ronnie Goss (Apiti) 42.96pts, 2; Sheree Alabaster (Taihape) 46.65pts, 3; Penny Kerekere (Gisborne) 56.64pts, 4; Oti Mason (Dannevirke) 86.74pts, 5.

Senior final: Ngaio Braddick (Eketahuna) 47.06pts, 1; Emma Bolton (Taihape) 50.52pts, 2; Walter Edmonds (Raetihi) 51.12pts, 3; Fiona Christensen (Masterton) 55.53pts, 4; Kristal White (-) 61.9pts, 5.

Junior final: Cushla Gordon (Masterton) 50.59pts, 1; Juliette Lyon (Alexandra) 59.26pts, 2; Kanya Janett (Taumarunui) 67.57pts, 3; Kiley Laris (Masterton) 83.44pts, 4; Ed Marrow (-) 115.64pts, 5.

Agrodome Shears at the Rotorua A and P Show on Sunday, January 31, 2010: Open final (20 sheep): Dion King (Napier) 16min 36.3sec, 60.565pts, 1; Digger Balme (Te Kuiti) 15min 54.5sec, 63.025pts, 2; Dean Ball (Te Kuiti) 17min 19.4sec, 64.53pts, 3; Gavin Mutch (Whangamomona and Scotland) 16min 48.7sec, 64.935pts, 4; Jerome McCrea (Whanganui) 16min 50.5sec, 76.825pts, 5.

Senior final (10 sheep): Tipene Te Whata (Tautoro) 10min 20.1sec, 44.205pts, 1; Aaron Haynes (Feilding) 11min 2sec, 45.2pts, 2; Tama Niania (Gisborne) 10min 5.4sec, 47.37pts, 3; Joe Maher (Taihape) 10min 34.4sec, 48.82pts, 4; Matene Mason (Masterton) 11min 11.4sec, 49.37pts, 5.

Intermediate final (5 sheep): Wi Ngarangione (Gisborne) 7min 42sec, 33.9pts, 1; George Hawkins (Martinborough) 6min 55.5sec, 35.975pts, 2; Corey Mifsud (Australia) 7min 38sec, 38.1pts, 3; Rozzi Hughes (Te Kuiti) 6min 58.8sec, 39.34pts, 4; Nukutai Tuhura (Rutoria) 6min 21.6sec, 41.48pts, 5.

Junior final (4 sheep): Steve Rowberry (England) 9min 11.4sec, 35.57pts, 1; DJ Crawford (Gisborne) 9min 41sec, 41.3pts, 2; Jack Fagan (Te Kuiti) 9min 43.1sec, 43.155pts, 3; Henare Niania (Gisborne) 10min 48.4sec, 45.92pts, 4; David Gordon (Masterton) 11min 37.2sec, 49.17pts, 5.