EVISON MAJOR WINNER OVER CHRISTMAS RUN

Photo of Terry Evison by Dave Ethell – www.dephotos.com.au

Photo of Shane Kenny by Dave Ethell – www.dephotos.com.au

Photo of Kerrie Holder by Dave Ethell – www.dephotos.com.au

Photo of David Stacey by Dave Ethell – www.dephotos.com.au

Photo of Ben Hall by Dave Ethell – www.dephotos.com.au

VICTORIAN rider Terry Evison was the major winner during the Christmas Run in the  Australian  Professional Rodeo Association.

Six rodeos were held in New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia starting at Myrtleford in north east Victoria on Boxing Day and going for two weeks.

Evison hails from Pine Grove and won the Rope and Tie at Myrtleford and Yarrawonga (Vic).

He combined with Nilma North rider Aaron Bookluck to win Team Roping at Myrtleford, Beechworth (Vic) and Tumbarumba (NSW).

The Rope and Tie at Tumbarumba was a cliff hanger with Victorian pair Jay R Marsh and Lee Kimber splitting first with New South Wales rider Clay Bush. All three were timed at 4.4 seconds.

In rough stock events on the Christmas Run, current APRA Champion John McNamee from Millmerran in Queensland won the Saddle Bronc at Beechworth and Tumbarumba while past Champion Brad Pierce (Tooma, NSW) was first at Yarrawonga and Finley (NSW).

In Bareback, Fred Osman (Cameron’s Corner, Qld) and Ben Hall (Leongatha) led the way with two wins each.

Past APRA  title winner Osman won at Myrtleford and Finley.

Hall gave the home crowd plenty to cheer about at Tumbarumba when he won the Bareback with a score of 74 on the John Gill horse Red Jacket. He backed up to win at Beechworth with 78 points, two more than Osman who finished second.

In the open Bull Ride, Young (NSW) rider Ben Thorp was the only multiple winner with victories at Yarrawonga with a score of 87 and Beechworth where he scored 83.

He was the only rider to make time on the Garry McPhee bucking bulls at Yarrawonga. None of the bull riders made time at Tumbarumba.

South Australian Saddle Bronc rider David Stacey, of Elizabeth Downs, won the first round and final at Carrieton (SA) to be first overall and then headed to New South Wales for a third at Finley.

Daniel Pearson from Kapunda (SA) won the Rope and Tie at Carrieton and joined with Gary Tielen to win the Team Roping.

The wins in cowgirl events at the six rodeos went to 11 different riders which indicates APRA titles this year are wide open. The only multiple winner was Kerrie Holder from Cootamundra in New South Wales who won the Barrel Races at Myrtleford and Finley.

The holiday action wasn’t restricted to the southern states with a New Year’s Eve Rodeo for the first time in recent years at Mt Isa in Queensland.

The only multiple winner in open events at Mt Isa was Jace Land, of Charters Towers (Qld) who won the Rope and Tie in 11.5 seconds and backed up to combine with Liam Davison to win the Team Roping in 5.9 seconds, 2.4 seconds ahead of the runners up.

After winning the aggregate in the National Finals at Warwick, Allan Powell from Springsure won the Saddle Bronc with 79. The highest score in rough stock at Mt Isa was the 80 by Deon Lane, of Charters Towers, to win the Bareback.

With the Christmas Run over, the next major group of rodeos will be on March 10-12 on the Victorian long weekend with rodeos at Kyabram, Merrijig and Chiltern.

APRA rodeo will hot up at Easter with seven rodeos over the four days.

There will be rodeos in Victoria and New South Wales at Great Western, Deniliquin, Omeo, Buchan and Lang Lang.

Queensland action at Easter will start with a Bull Ride at Roma on Good Friday followed by full Championship Points rodeo at Roma the next day and the Emerald Easter Sunflower Festival on Easter Sunday.

While the most rodeos in a block are on the Victorian long weekend and at Easter, there are 28 APRA rodeos from the beginning of February to Easter Monday including some Xtreme Bulls Rodeos in New South Wales. Gill Brothers from Upper Horton in New South Wales are providing the bulls for the Xtreme Bulls series which will climax with finals at the Macquarie Inn at Dubbo on February 25.

The Warwick Rodeo National Finals will be held for a third time in late October at the Warwick Showgrounds in Queensland and riders are expected to travel to as many rodeos as possible in the next eight months to boost their championship points.

The top 15 in all eight championship events will qualify for the National Finals.

With the confirmation that Warwick will be the venue for the National Finals at least to the end of 2018, the qualifying period for riders aiming to finish in the top 15 has been extended to September 30. The change will enable riders to score points at a second Mt Isa Rotary Rodeo in August in the same qualifying period in the run up to this year’s National Finals.

Going into the Christmas Run, Shane Kenny from Emerald in Queensland led the  All Around and Team Roping Header standings in the APRA.

During the Christmas Run, Kenny recorded a win and second in the Rope and Tie, a second and fourth in Steer Wrestling and a second and fourth in Team Roping during the Christmas Run.

Leanne Caban from Emerald (Qld) led the All Around standings for the cowgirls but second-placed Jo Caldwell (Murrurundi, NSW)  has made up some ground with a win in the Barrel Race at Tumbarumba and equal sixth at Beechworth.