A DELORAINE man will represent the state in one of the first timbersports series of its kind in Australia.
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After Matthew Gurr won the Tasmanian series of the Stihl Timbersports competition at Agfest, he guaranteed himself an automatic spot in the grand final in October.
The six-discipline competition originated in the United States and involves competitors using axes, saws and chainsaws.
Competitions such as the standing block chop, the single buck and the springboard chop test the competitor's endurance and strength as they work their way through the different stages.
Held at Agfest 2015, Gurr and Kody Steers, from Sheffield, took out first and second place and will automatically advance into the Australian championship final.
"This is the first Stihl Timbersports Series that's been run in Australia, previously it's been in America and Europe and other places," Gurr said.
"At the moment it's the biggest thing in the world in timbersports.
"If you do well here in the Australian finals then you could be selected to go to Poland and compete in the world's."
In a neck-and-neck final round against competition favourite Dale Beams, from Winkleigh, Gurr posted a time of 11.42 seconds to secure the top spot.
"It's fantastic for me to have won here," he said.
"If I had got third or fourth I would have had to get in through a wildcard qualifier.
"I'm in a really good situation now where I'm just straight into the final and I'm in the top 10."
Gurr will head to New South Wales in October to fight for his spot in the Australian team to represent the country at the world championships in Poland in November.
"There's a lot of preparation involved to getting to that stage," he said.
"I don't expect to finish in the top two or three but I expect to be reasonably high up."