If the saying, “The harder the battle, the sweeter the victory,” is anything to go by, then this year’s National Fencing Championship winners have a lot to be proud of.
New Zealand Fencing Competitions (NZFC) is the recognised National Sporting Organisation for the sport of competitive agricultural fencing, and these competitions see all age groups compete against each other. You won’t find any Masters, Seniors or Veterans divisions here, no siree.
So, on Monday morning of Fieldays week, when 27 individual competitors and 17 doubles pairs braved the cold, foggy Mystery Creek conditions for the heats to earn themselves a place in the finals, it’s fair to say the competition was going to be tight.
Wednesday saw the Fieldays Silver Staples cadet competition, aimed at developing the skills of emerging fencers from agricultural training institutes and high schools. The competition is equally attended by male and female students, and has earned its place as a vital step in these young fencers’ development. This year saw two teams each from Geraldine High School, Pukemiro Station and Smedley Station, with Thomas Batty & Cullen Bolt from Geraldine High School taking top honours on the day.
Across the hill, Kupu Lloyd, Tom Kerley and Michael Trott, all hailing from Gisborne, South Islander Craig Sinclair, Clevedon fencer Murray Graham, and local Waikato man Sam Burton, were competing in the Bill Schuler final. This event is designed to bring along competitive fencers and provide experience in the tense atmosphere that Fieldays provides – a stepping stone towards the Golden Pliers® by WIREMARK®.
Judges were encouraged by the quality of workmanship and the lift in game compared to previous years’ competitions. One judge was spotted practically skipping with excitement to the judge’s caravan to enter his scores, commenting, “I really enjoyed judging those! It’s very promising – they’ve all done a great job out there. Fencing competitions has a bright future.”
Thursday came too soon for some and not soon enough for others in the Golden Pliers® by WIREMARK® Singles competition. Pressure was on last year’s winner, Tim Garrick, to retain his title. Past champions Tony Bouskill & Tim Stafford were both keen to see if they still had what it took. Long time competitors Jeff Joines and Matt Jones, along with up-and-comer Cory Twigley, were all hungry for a win, and young bucks Shay Robertson and Cameron Hammerton had shown they were big threats capable of a takedown.
Throw in arguably some of the toughest conditions seen to date – cold, persistent heavy rain, an age gap spanning 28 years across the field – and the scene was set for an epic battle. Onlookers speculated if age or youth would prevail.
As the iconic Golden Pliers® by WIREMARK® Singles competition progressed, a couple of things hadn’t gone quite to plan for Matt Jones, who then decided to forfeit aiming for the title and powered through the rest of the fence to be the first to complete the mammoth task in a mere 5hrs 7min. This earned himself the Nick Liefting First Off the Line award, and set the tone for the rest of the competitors – who were now incurring time penalties. Tim Garrick and Tony Bouskill finished within seconds of each other about 15 minutes later, and the other finalists came off steadily afterwards, all trying to balance their quality with the clock.
Day three dawned cool and clear for the Fieldays Silver Spades® Doubles Championship. This was another top-level event of high-calibre fencers, including two international pairs and one South Island duo, making it the largest final to date.
The lads all had their work cut out for them, with Chief Judge Owen Petersen requesting a 36m fence consisting of 6 x 2.5 mm WIREMARK® wires, two being electric, two diagonal stay assemblies, and an angled section of Goldpine® post & rail, including a pedestrian gate to be made & installed with the use of Cyclone nails. The Strainrite claw insulators and plain wires were to be stapled on with a StockAde ST400i gas powered staple gun.
A large crowd of spectators formed as the competition took place. Looking at the amount of work in front of them, most pairs decided early on to split up and tackle effectively half the fence each – with one boring, posting and doing the electrical work, while the other chewed their way through the post and rail section, which required a lot of nutting out and delicate finishing. There was minimal wastage of rails allowed, a wrong measurement or cut meant they wouldn’t be able to complete their fence.
The UK team of John Morgan and Si Gibbs, representatives of the UK Tornado Fencing Competition, and USA pair Ed Struna and Luke Gibson, representatives of the U.S. Platinum Strainer Doubles Championship, all showed remarkable workmanship – on top of having to master new techniques and borrowed tools. Southern lads Thomas Rathgen and Isaac Johnston meant business coming off the back of their win at Kirwee. Shane Bouskill had fresh legs, having not competed the previous day, hoping this would help seal a win with son Tony, while previous finalists Micheal Trott and Kupu Lloyd looked every bit competitive and polished as they settled into the task.
The final was not immune to mishaps, with Tim and Cory snapping the head off their spade whilst trying to make a last-minute adjustment to their stay block, and another competitor snapping their footing wire whilst straining up the foot.
First finished were Tim Garrick and Cory Twigley, looking formidable again this year. Seven and a half minutes later, there was a head-to-head, breakneck race down the hill to the finish line between youngsters Shay Robertson and Cameron Hamerton, and the oldest pair, Jeff Joines and Tim Stafford.
The formal prizegiving function was an opportunity for sponsors Wiremark, Cyclone, Goldpine, Strainrite, Stihl, StockAde, Revolution Postdrivers, FCANZ and Fieldays to each speak and be acknowledged for their considerable support, which is instrumental to the success of such a world-class event. This year, a new sponsorship structure was introduced with NZFC supporters, supported by farming entity Ngakaroro Land Co Ltd.
Special recognition was also made to the judging and admin teams, the sponsorship committee and ground crews for their effort and dedication in what is a very long and intense week for all of these volunteers. MCs Craig Wiggins and Craig Graham were also thanked for their expertise.
This year saw Micheal Trott secure his 2nd Bill Schuler title, with Kupu Lloyd in 2nd, and 3rd placegetter Sam Burton. Best First-Year Entrant went to David Swansson, and Murray Graham was awarded the Best Second-Year Entrant award.
The National Singles championship title and the prestigious Golden Pliers® by WIREMARK® Singles competition were awarded to Tim Stafford on a score of 91.33 points, ahead of runner-up Tim Garrick on 95.79, and Tony Bouskill in 3rd place on 102.63. Stafford also won the Best Quality award (the highest standard of fence, no time consideration). His win came 10 years after his first title, and after a brief hiatus from competitions following shoulder surgery in 2019.
The final award of the evening went to Jeff Joines and Tim Stafford in the Fieldays Silver Spades® Doubles Championship, as the oldest combo in the field, and a relatively new pairing, having only competed together once before. With a score of 99.88 points, they won by a convincing 9.78 points over previous multiple winners Tony Bouskill and Shane Bouskill, with last years’ winners Tim Garrick and Cory Twigley rounding out the podium in 3rd on 138.45 points.
Thanks to the organisation by NZFC, and costs covered by sponsors Fieldays®, Strainrite, Cyclone, Revolution Postdrivers, and FCANZ, Tim and Jeff’s win earned them a place to compete in the U.S. Platinum Strainer Doubles Championship at the East Coast Fencing Rivalry in Virginia, USA.
Comments from our visiting competitors during the evening all echoed the same theme – saying they were struck by how welcomed they were made to feel, likening it to a big family rather than a group of competitors, as everyone was willing to lend tools, tips and banter. They also wished to thank Nick Liefting, Wayne Newdick and the Bouskills for their hospitality and training sessions.
As the week drew to a close, all finalists reflected & celebrated their outcomes, and showed us all that success at this level is no accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, adapting, and a love of what you do.
And sometimes, age.
Full results, photos and videos on the NZFC Facebook page.
Article by Vanessa Stafford on behalf of NZFC
Photographs reproduced with permission by NZ Fencing Competitions.
Published in WIRED issue 78/September 2025 by Fencing Contractors Association NZ
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