World Shearing Champs

July 4, 2019

The World Shearing and Woolhandling Championships in France have begun in traditional fashion for Allflex New Zealand team member and blade shearer Tony Dobbs.

Within minutes of arriving today at the huge steel-framed marquee venue in central France town Le Dorat, where the championships started in outdoor temperatures of over 30deg and run from today (July 4) to Sunday, the Fairlie farmer was helping the opposition.

Waiting for his heat in World titles warm-up the French All-Nations Championship was pictured showing frenchmen Loic Jauberthie and Frederic Dussault some of the finer points of blades preparation.

Jauberthie is in the France team, part of the opposition in the chase for World titles while Dussault is contesting the All Nations and French National championships.

Dobbs, who first competed at a World championships in an all-New Zealand event in Masterton in 1988, said: “What am I if I don’t help? It would be a bit selfish, I think.”

Runner-up in the blades final in 2017 in Invercargill, Dobbs said: “It all helps if I can help lift the standard at the other end.”

“But, it takes my mind off what’s happening around me,” he said, with his heat being shorn soon afterwards. “I’d hate to be sitting around doing nothing.”

ENDS

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