Young Waikato axemen lead the charge on world stage

Friday, 24 October 2025

Three young Waikato axemen have made the cut, tipping out some senior pros as they look to take on the world at the Stihl Timbersports World Championships in Italy.

It’s a changing of the guard for New Zealand’s four-man Stihl Timbersports team representing their country at the World Championships in Milan, Italy this weekend after three Kiwi veterans were replaced by three up and coming timbersport stars.

“No one’s giving us a chance as a result of this lack of experience,” says team manager Anthony Mildren.

“But then again no one gave the baby All Blacks a chance in 1986, or Martin Crowe’s Young Guns in the Cricket World Cup in ’92.

“Kiwis fly best when they’re under the radar don’t they,” Mildren said.

Making up the squad are Tokoroa’s Cleveland Cherry, 26, Otorohanga’s Chris Lord, 30, Taumarunui’s Jack Jordan, 29, and Masterton’s Quintin Fawcett, 30.

Missing from the team is multiple world champion Rotorua’s Kyle Lemon, 51, along with Southland’s Bobby Dowling, 38, and Taranaki’s Shane Jordan, 38.

It’s Cherry and Fawcett’s first time making the mens’ senior team, while Lord first made the team two years ago.

“The average age difference between those two teams goes from 40-years to 28-years of age,” Mildren said.

“That’s a lot of experience to lose, especially when you consider most timbersport athletes don’t reach their prime until their forties.”

But Mildren says what this team lacks in experience they more than make up for in effort.

“I can tell you, no stone has been left unturned in our lead-up training camps and I’ve never seen more personal behind-the-scenes preparation and effort than what these four have produced this year.

“They’re our ‘Young Guns’ … with axes.”

Jordan is a three-time individual world trophy champion and he’ll be looking to add to his list of individual titles in Italy, and is hoping to add a teams title to his impressive resume.

Both Lord and Cherry previously represented New Zealand in the world championships as under-25 “rookies”, with Lord winning that title in 2019 and Cherry placing third last year.

Jordan will be looking to go one better than the second place he achieved in the individual competition last year held in Toulouse, France. It’s an award that’s eluded the current world trophy title holder.

The World Trophy is described as the 20/20 cricket of international wood chopping - a quick fire, knockout-stages event with four disciplines back to back suited to competitors with superior fitness and endurance.

This weekend’s world championship is the more traditional, long-form format of the sport across six different wood-chopping and sawing disciplines.

If he can win against the 12-strong international field, Jordan will join the sport’s illustrious names, such as Jason Wynyard and David Bolstad, as the only other Kiwis to win the coveted individual title.

The New Zealand team finished just outside of the medals in fourth place last year, and last won the world championship teams title in 2017.