14 June 2025

Excellence and speed showcased in Fieldays Fencing Competitions

Boots were on, and hammers were swinging as New Zealand’s top fencers battled it out at Fieldays, with competitors showing precision and endurance using good-old-fashioned number 8 wire.

Tim Stafford has come out on top in the prestigious Golden Pliers® by WIREMARK® Championship final, demonstrating a near faultless nine-wire fence, hanging gate and strainer assemblies.

The Golden Pliers® showcases individual skill, and the qualifying heats were held prior to Fieldays, with the top eight finalists competing in what Appearance Judge Paul Van Beers likens to a double marathon.

Van Beers himself has a phenomenal record-setting with 14 Golden Pliers wins, 12 Silver Spades titles and two World Fencing Championship titles. When commenting on this year’s competitors, he praised the participants and the way they showed perseverance and grit.

“Competitors are out there for up to eight hours; they handled it well, given the wet weather. A lot of the competitors were back out there the next day competing in the Doubles,” he said.

Stafford also took out The Fieldays® Silver Spades™ Doubles Championship with partner Jeff Joines. The pair have won a trip to the United States to compete in the US Platinum Strainer Doubles Championships held August 15th and 16th at the East Coast Fencing Rivalry.

The Bill Schuler Singles, named after the late legendary Bill Schuler, to encourage younger up-and-coming competitors or those new to fencing competitions, was won by Micheal Trott.

Thomas Batty and Cullen Bolt from Geraldine High School took out the Fieldays Silver Staples cadet competition, marking the first time high school students have won the category.

This year also saw two international teams compete in the Fieldays® Silver Spades™ Doubles Championship, with teams from the United Kingdom and the USA. Competitors Tim Downes-Hopkins and Ed Thomas travelled from Herefordshire in the West Midlands of England, representing MJ Evans Fencing.

Owner Mark Evans said they are stoked to be here in New Zealand, and he has used the trip as an educational experience for his team.

“The competition is judged to a much higher standard here, and the competitors are top class. The New Zealand fencing community is among the best in the world,” he said. “We’re really keen to come back”.

The NZ Fencing Competitions (NZFC) organisers of the Fieldays Fencing Competitions are keen to see the competition attract more international competitors.

“We’re in discussions with German clubs, a few of their fencing teams are really keen to come out here too,” said Van Beers.

NZFC was formed in 2013 as a committee committed to promoting and governing fencing competitions in New Zealand.  “This is a family sport. You’ve got grandparents watching their grandkids, fathers and sons competing side by side, and the whole family cheering them on,” says Van Beers.

Van Beers added that fencing is not just a job – for a lot of us, it’s what got us into farming. “I started going to Fieldays 40 years ago, and I competed at 30 of those. Fieldays and fencing are in the blood”.

2025 Results

Golden Pliers ® by WIREMARK® Singles Championship

1st Tim Stafford

2nd Tim Garrick

3rd Tony Bouskill

4th Shay Robertson

5th Cory Twigley

6th Jeff Joines

7th Cameron Hamerton

8th Matt Jones

Best Quality – Tim Stafford

Nick Liefting First off the line trophy – Matt Jones

Fieldays Silver Spades® Doubles Championship

1st Jeff Joines & Tim Stafford

2nd Shane Bouskill & Tony Bouskill

3rd Tim Garrick & Cory Twigley

4th Kupu Lloyd & Micheal Trott

5th Shay Robertson & Cameron Hamerton

6th Luke Gibson & Edward Struna (US Team)

7th Isaac Johnston & Thomas Rathgen (South Island Team)

8th Simon Gibbs & John Morgan (UK Team)

Bill Schuler

1st Micheal Trott

2nd Kupu Lloyd

3rd Sam Burton

4th Craig Sinclair

5th Murray Graham

6th Tom Kerley

Best first year – David Swansson

Best second year – Murray Graham

The Fieldays Silver Staples cadet competition

1st Thomas Batty & Cullen Bolt (Geraldine High School)

2nd Ben Soloman & Holly Bird (Pukemiro Station)

3rd Will Long & Ged Billing (Smedley Station)

4th Flynn Watson & Sophie Chandler (Pukemiro Station)

5th Cayden Howell & Isabelle Atkinson (Geraldine High School)

6th Spencer Newman & Jack Aitken-Cade (Smedley Station)
 

Proudly sponsored by New Zealand Fencing Competitions.