KENNY PROVES HE IS RODEO ROYALTY

EMERALD (Qld) cowboy Shane Kenny proved yet again he is rodeo royalty with four title wins in the Warwick Rodeo Australian Championships.

He won the title and average at the championships in the rope and tie, steer wrestling, team roping and was an easy winner in the battle for the all around cowboy title.

Clermont rider Brendan Kenny joined with Shane Kenny to win the team roping.

For the first time in recent years, each rider took carryover points from their pro tour success into the championships but this year the average winners in all eight events at the championships also won the titles.

Kenny has now won 35 titles in the APRA, including 15 all around and 13 in his best event, the rope and tie. This year is the first time he has won all four title buckles in the same  year.

He won his first APRA title in the rope and tie in 1991 at the age of 17  and a year later won his first all around title. Kenny rates steer wrestling as his toughest event and on Sunday won his first steer wrestling title for 15 years after being victorious in 1997, 1999 and 2000.

In cowgirl ranks, Stephanie Gard from Table Top on the New South Wales/Victoria border near Albury won the all around but was pipped in the battle for individual titles.

She started with two round wins and a third in the barrel racing and one in breakaway roping in the first three rounds of the finals but was not on the winners podium in the final round on Sunday afternoon at the Warwick Showgrounds.

The all around cowgirl win takes her title tally to three after winning the breakaway roping in 2013 and 2014.

Gard was one of three title winners from New South Wales.

Tooma (NSW) rider Brad Pierce won his first APRA saddle bronc title since 2009 after  winning round 1, splitting first in round 2 with Cody Angland from Wantabadgery (NSW) and riding time on his four horses.

The bucking bulls from the best contractors in the nation had an easy victory against the cowboys in the bull ride with none of the cowboys riding time in round 3 on Saturday night.

Upper Horton (NSW) rider Troy Wilkinson recorded a score in rounds 1, 2 and 4 to be the only cowboy to score on three bulls in the four rounds. He won two of the rounds to win the average and the title.

Wandoan (Qld) cowboy David Worsfold was first into the arena in round 4 on Sunday to virtually secure the title and average with a score of 79 on Drought Relief. He won the final two rounds after going into the championships with the APRA standings lead.

The Victorians were to the fore in the individual events for cowgirls.

Cherie O’Donoghue, of Lockington, made it nine title wins when she won the breakaway roping after scoring wins in rounds 1 and 3. She recorded a time on her four head to secure the average and make sure of a title win.

Leslie Moore won rounds 1 and 4 to secure the barrel racing title. She now calls Lockington in Victoria home.

Championship winners 2015

Australian All Round Cowboy – Shane Kenny (Emerald, Qld)

Australian Saddlebronc Champion – Brad Pierce (Tooma, NSW)

Australian Bull Ride Champion – Troy Wilkinson (Upper Horton, NSW)

Australian Bareback Champion – David Worsfold (Wandoan, Qld)

Australian Rope and Tie Champion – Shane Kenny (Emerald, Qld)

Australian Steer Wresting Champion – Shane Kenny (Emerald, Qld)

Australian Teem Roping Header Champion – Shane Kenny (Emerald, Qld)

Australian Team Roping Heeler Champion – Brendan Kenny (Clermont, Qld)

Australian All Round Cowgirl – Stephanie Gard (Lavington, NSW)

Australian Barrel Racing Champion – Leslie Moore (Lockington, Vic)

Australian Breakaway Roping Champion – Cherie O’Donoghue (Lockington, Vic)

Round results in championships

Round 1 Saddle bronc – Brad Pierce (Tooma, NSW) 76 points; Bareback – Cody
Angland (Wantabadgery, NSW) 79; Bull Ride – Troy Wilkinson (Upper Horton,
NSW) 81; Rope and Tie – Shane Kenny (Emerald, Qld) 10.6 seconds; Steer
Wrestling – Luke Hamilton (Stowport, Tasmania) 5.05; Team Roping – Shane
Kenny (Emerald) and Brendan Kenny (Clermont) 8.65; Barrel Race – Leslie
Moore (Lockington, Vic) 18.035; Breakaway Roping – Cherie O’Donoghue
(Lockington, Vic) 4.45

Round 2 Saddle Bronc – Brad Pierce (Tooma, NSW) and Cody Angland 79
(Wantabadgery, NSW); Bareback – Digger Hay (Taroom, Qld) 80;  Bull Ride -
Bryden Atkins (Docher, Vic) 80; Rope and Ttie – Shane Kenny (Emerald, Qld)
11.4; Steer Wrestling – Lee Kimber (Lockington, Vic) 5.6; Team Roping –
Heath Litchfield (Griffith, NSW) and Aaron Bookluck (Nilma North, Vic)
6.7; Barrel Race – Stephanie Gard (Table Top, NSW) 18.014; Breakaway
roping – Stephanie Gard (Table Top, NSW) 4.8.

Round 3 Saddle Bronc – John Turvey (St George, Qld) 80; Bareback – David
Worsfold (Wandoan, Qld) 85; Bull Ride – no scores; Rope and Tie – Shane
Iker (Alton Downs, Qld) 10.8; Steer Wrestling – Shane Kenny 5.1; Team
Roping – Troy Caban (Moree, NSW)and Corey Heath (Tabbita, NSW) 7.95;
Barrel Race – Stephanie Gard (Table Top, NSW) 17.902;  Breakaway Roping –
Cherie O’Donoghue (Lockington, Vic) 4.0.

Round 4: Saddle Bronc – Carl Green (Walcha, NSW) 77; Bareback – David
Worsfold (Wandoan, Qld) 79; Bull Ride – Troy Wilkinson (Upper Horton, NSW)
80; Rope and Tie –  Terry Evison (Lockington, Vic) 11.9; Steer Wrestling –
Shane Kenny (Emerald, Qld) 4.8; Team Roping – Troy Caban (Moree, NSW) and
Corey Heath (Tabbita, NSW) 6.7; Barrel Race – Leslie Moore (Lockington)
17.645; Breakaway roping Cheyenne Whitwell (Mt Tarampa, Qld) 4.5.



More information from APRA on 4661 8183