Kiwi Shears Guns On Show Before World Champs

New Zealand shearers Rowland Smith and Leon Samuels have made a spectacular start to their preparations in the UK for next week’s Golden Shears World Shearing and Woolhamdling Championships in Scotland.

They were first and third respectively in the Open final at the Royal Cornwall Show at Wadebridge, separated by Smith’s brother, Matt Smith, who farms just 20km away and will be shearing for England at the June 22-25 championships at the Royal Highland Show at Ingliston, Edinburgh.

In a five-man final of 20 sheep each, shorn on Friday (early Saturday New Zealand time and featuring five of the fastest shearers in the World, the trio and English shearer Stuart Connor – all eight-hour or nine-hour World record holders – were separated by just five seconds at the finish.

Rowland Smith, who won the world title in Ireland in 2014 and was runner-up to Welsh shearer Richard Jones in France three years ago, holds World eight-hours strongwool ewes record of 644, Matt Smith the nine-hour ewes record of 731, Samuels once held the eight-hours ewes record at 605 and shares a four-stand lambshearing record for eight hours, and Connor holds the nine-hours lambs record of 872.

Fifth placegetter Nick Greaves in August last year shore 881 lambs in nine hours under England record rules during a two-stand big-day-out on his family farm in Staffordshire. .

At the weekend, Rowland Smith and Connor, who worked together in Smith’s run in Hawke’s Bay during the New Zealand summer, finished blow-for-blow in 15min 33sec. Samuels, in his first competition in the UK since arriving the previous Sunday was next three seconds later, just pipping Matt Smith, who clocked 15min 38sec.

With time and quality points together, Rowland Smith won by just 0.1pts from his brother, who had marginally the better quality points – in a reverse of the result from six days earlier when Matt Smith retained the Royal Bath and West Open title in Somerset, barely 48 hours after Rowland Smith had arrived from New Zealand.

Matt Smith and Rowland Smith, who has now won 173 Open finals since first appearing in the top grade in 2006-2007, were third and fourth behind Welsh World championships team members Richard Jones and Gwion Evans at the Staffordshire County Show on June 1, just hours after Rowland Smith’s arrival in the UK.

All are expected to shear at the Royal Three Counties Show at Malvern, Worcestershire, on Friday-Sunday, before heading north for the World championhips.

Two other members of the Wools of New Zealand Shearing Sports New Zealand World championships team, defending champion blades shearers Allan Oldfield, from Geraldine, and Tony Dobbs, of Fairlie, have also been competing in the UK.

Dobbs was second to England rival Andrew Mudge in the Open Blades final at the Royal Bath and West Show in what will be his only competition before the World championships, while Oldfield, who arrived in the UK last week, shore a machine shearing event at the Angus Show at the Brechin Castle Showground in Scotland on Saturday and will be shearing at the Three Counties show this week.

The New Zealand team also comprises woolhandlers Candy Hiri, of Mataura, and Ngaio Hanson, of Eketahuna who in Scotland will be defending the teams title won by Pagan Rimene and Sheree Alabaster in France.

Also in the UK is the mainly New Zealand-based Cook Islands team of machine shearers of Australia-based Jovan Taiki, from Porangahau, and Alex Smith, of Mataura, and woolhandlers Keryn Herbert, of Te Kuiti, and Tina Elers, of Mataura.

As a New Zealand representative Herbert won the teams title with Alabaster in Wales in 2010, and Elers was third in the individual final when Cook Islands was first represented at the World championships in Invercargill in 2017.

The 2023 championships, the 19th dating back to the first in England in 1977, have attracted entries from 28 countries.

Result:

Royal Cornwall Show Open final (20 sheep): Rowland Smith (Maraekakaho) 15min 33sec, 58.85pts, 1; Matt Smith (Cornwall, England) 15min 38sec, 58.95pts, 2; Leon Samuels (Roxburgh) 15min 37sec, 62.15pts, 3; Stu Connor (Oxfordshire, England) 15min 33sec, 62.5pts, 4; Nick Greaves (Staffordshire, England) 16min 44sec, 65.2pts, 5.

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