Wales takes 2-0 lead over NZ in shearing series

Wales takes 2-0 lead over NZ in shearing series

New Zealand has been beaten by Wales in two weekend shearing tests in Wales.

Nathan Stratfiord, of Invercargill, and David Buick, of Pongaroa were beaten by Welsh shearers Matthew Evans, of Swansea, and Alun Lloyd Jones, of Llangollen, at both the Cothi Shears on Friday and the Lampeter Shears on Saturday.

It leaves them without a win in four internationals on the six-test CP Wool New Zealand Shearing UK Tour, having beaten beaten previously by Scotland and England.

It also leaves them battling to eke a draw in the annual four-match series against Wales., which ends the CP Wool New Zealand Shearing Team UK TourTeam against a newly-selected Wales team at the Royal Welsh Show on Wednesday and the Corwen Shears on Saturday.

New Zealand has not won a shearing test at Cothi or Lampeter since winning both tests in 2015, and has lost three in a row at the Royal Welsh Show since 2014 when injured John Kirkpatrick was replaced at the last minute by Mathhew Smith to join David Fagan (now Sir David Fagan) for a win over Welshmen Gareth Daniel and Richard Jones.

Last year, World champion New Zealand shearers John Kirkpatrick and Rowland Smith, with Jack Fagan standing-in for Smith in the first two tests, was beaten 4-0, but returned to New Zeakad to win all four tests in a home series against Evans and Jones.

New Zealand has not been beaten in New Zealand by any UK team in a machine shearing international apart from when Scotland won the teams title at the World Championships in Masterton in 1996.

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