Stihl Timbersports involves a variety of disciplines such as hot saw, single buck, standing block chop, stock saw, underhand chop and springboard chop.

The top eight were averaged from the six events and will go through to the national final, which is set to be held at the Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 in October.

Beckett finished with 25 points behind one of the best in the world Brad De Losa (33 points) and took out the stock saw event in just 12.10 seconds.

Despite this being the first event of its kind in Australia, Beckett has competed internationally in the sport for several years.

He travelled to the USA to compete in 2004 and 2005, before having a break for a few years then competing in America again in 2007, 2008 and 2009.

He has also travelled to Europe in the past to compete in the teams’ event of the world Timb­er­­sports Championsh­ips.

Beckett achieved several top 10 finishes in the American competition, his best result being fourth place.

However, the USA eventually stopped allowing international competitors from participating which Beckett said led to more countries organising their own events, which now includes Australia.

Beckett has been involved in wood sports for most of his life; his father a local axeman.

He started out woodchopping, and heard of a few guys going over to compete in timbersports in the States and thought to try it himself.

He was named the 2005-06 Cessnock City Sportsperson of the Year after winning numerous state, national and world titles in woodchopping.

Beckett likes the sport for the people he has met and the competitiveness, as well as the challenge.

He said the sport can be quite unpredictable at times, and good decision-making is key to succeeding.

“Lots of things can go right, lots of things can go wrong,” he said.

“The minds going a million miles an hour and you’ve got to make the right decisions.”

However, sometimes situations arise that are out of the competitors control, Beckett once involved an event where he went from second to eighth place because of a complication with the wood.

“It’s one of the only sports where you’re not always on a level playing field,” he said.

“A lot of luck comes into it.”

Over the 25 years Beckett has been involved in wood sports he said he actually saw a decrease in the amount of people involved in timbersports, until Stihl came on board which he believes will be great for the sport.

“Stihl Timbersports is going to be a good thing, it will only get better,” he said.