The powerhouse Kiwi Shearing Team of Darin Forde, Dion Morrell and John Kirkpatrick won the Trans-Tasman Test at the Sports Shear National Shearing and Woolhandling Championships in Esperance on 19th October with 205.2675 penalties points. The Australian Team of Hilton Barrett, Matt Philipson and Dean King's score was 219.1925 Hilton Barrett (the 8 hour World Merino Ewe record holder) kept the two 9 hour World record holders Darin Forde and Dion Morrell at bay for the 16 sheep, 8 merinos and 8 dorsets, finishing in 17 minutes and 4 seconds, with Darin 2 seconds later and Dion 2 seconds after Darin. The Australian Team won at New Zealand's premier competition, "the Golden Shears" in Masterton in March this year, and the Kiwis were very keen to equal the score in Esperance. After the National anthems of both countries were sung it was all on, the crowd were ecstatic and screamed all the way through the event. The New Zealand Team's Woolhandlers Tina Rimene and Ronnie Goss, beat the Australian Team of Eileen Philipson and Sian Bacon by 18 points, but the kiwi girls did not make the Open final and Aroha Garvin (WA) won with Eileen Philipson (NSW) runnerup. The New Zealand Team Manager Gavin Tankersly, stressed that Shearing Sports New Zealand and Golden Shears Masterton, recognise these test matches held at the Sports Shear Australia National Championships and the return match at the Golden Shears, Masterton New Zealand, as the only official tests between New Zealand and Australia. The Sports Shear Australia National Shearing Title went to Hilton Barrett with Beau Guelfi of Dumbelyung, WA runnerup. These two Aussies will now represent Australia at the World Shearing Championships in Edinburgh, Scotland in June 2003. With 3rd placed Jason Wingfield (Vic) joining the Team for the Transtasman test at Golden Shears, Masterton, New Zealand in March and at the Sports Shear Australia National Championships in Esperance in October 2003 4th Darren Smith (SA) 5th Matt Philipson (NSW) and 6th Scott Irlam (SA) Barrett (NSW) also won the Supershear West Australian Shearing Championships Open final with Forde 2nd, Morrell 3rd, followed by Matt Philipson, Cartwright Terry and Brett King The Sports Shear Australia National woolhandling Final went to Dave Summers (Qld) for the second year in a row. Aroha Garvin WA the current World Champion will get a chance to defend her title in Scotland by being runnerup to Summers. 3rd Eileen Philipson, 4th Fiona Paterson, 5th Lisa Teraki, 6th Matt Stasinowski The Mark Hough Memorial Quickshear was won by Darin Forde Tru-test Supershear, the Australian made Shearing Gear manufacturer is major Sponsor of the National Shearing & Woolhandling Championships 
The Official Australian Team to contest the 2003 Golden Shears World Championships in Edinburgh, Scotland, was contested at these Nationals in Esperance. All Australian shearers and woolhandlers have had the opportunity to qualify to represent Australia by contesting the preliminary rounds held in their respective States. Australian Team: Manager/Coach: Mike Henderson Shearers: Hilton Barrett (NSW), Beau Guelfi (WA), Woolhandlers: David Summers (QLD), Aroha Garvin (WA) |