Kiwi shearer scores unique treble

On his first trip to the Northern Hemisphere, Oldfield, 25, he has won two blades shearing events, a machine shearing title, and now a woolhandling final.

It's possibly the first time such a treble has been achieved by a New Zealander, and it was a huge turnaround, for while having reached several blades and machine shearing finals in New Zealand, Oldfield had left hometown Geraldine less than three weeks ago yet to record his first win.

"I've had a few seconds and thirds in the machines, and a few thirds and fourths in the blades," he says. "I can hardly believe it. Now I just need to come back to New Zealand try the (wool) pressing at the Golden Shears."

The sequence started on May 8 when he won the Leinster Championships bladeshearing title in a woolshed near Donard in Co Wicklow, Republic of Ireland, an event which was won by father Phil Oldfield two years ago.

He then won the Northern Ireland Sheep Shearing Association All-Nations blades final at the Royal Ulster Show at Balmoral, Belfast, and the junior machine shearing final at the Connacht Championships at Ballinrobe, Co Mayo.

The latest win came in the novice woolhandling final at the Devon County Show on Thursday, after finishing third to Welshman Elfed Jackson in the show's blades event.

A "friend" entered his name for what would be the first time he had competed in woolhandling. "It was a good way to fill in the day," he says.

Oldfield says this is the first time he's been out of New Zealand for more than a fortnight, and the big step has come-about with a decision to join Russian partner Yana Selyuk, who is teaching english in Spain.

She has done a couple of days helping him out in the woolshed but is otherwise training to become a diplomatic interpreter.

He plans to next compete in the All Ireland Championships at Tullynally Castle, Castlepollard, Co Westmeath, Ireland, on June 4-5, in both blades and machine shearing, and possibly woolhandling again.

"I like to support the shows by increasing entries," he says.

Although over 20,000kms from the action, Phil Oldfield, 54, is also supporting competition in Ireland, He trains his son, as well as Irish shearer Peter Heraty, who won the Connacht blades final and who is hoping to represent Ireland at the Golden Shears World Championships Southland 2017, in Invercargill, next February.

Both Allan Oldfield and Heraty are supported by Phil Oldfield's Geraldine-based international shearing equipment and instruction operation Shear Sharp NZ, which will also donate a pair of blades for the winner of the All Ireland final.

The show at Balmoral, on grounds once occupied by the Maze Prison, was also a happy-hunting ground for England-based Northland and Hawke's Bay shearer Matt Smith, who won the All Nations Open machine shearing title.

Smith, 32, had previously won the title in 2009, while brother Rowland Smith won in 2014, on his way to winning the World title in Gorey, Ireland, a week later.

Matthew Smith is currently preparing for a late-July attempt on the World 9hrs strongwool ewes record of 721.