Shears Excitement As World Champs Start In Scotland

At least 18 New Zealand competitors will be in action in open-entry events kicking-off the four-day 2023 Golden Shears World Shearing and Woolhandling Championships starting today at the Royal Highland Show in Scotland.

Taking part in the show’s annual events, they include the six Wools of New Zealand Shearing Sports New Zealand team members preparing for the World Championships events which start on Friday (Saturday morning New Zealand time) with the first round in the machine shearing.

At least 12 others in Scotland while working in the UK or as World Championships spectators, plus at least two competitors from overseas but now living in New Zealand, will be competing in the events which range from Novice to Senior shearing and woolhandling events today, to Open-class events on Friday.

At the Royal Three Counties Show in Worcestershire last weekend, seven shearers from New Zealand were in the Open shearing heats, with New Zealand team members Rowland Smith, of Maraekakaho, and Leon Samuels, of Roxburgh, joined by Jack Fagan, of Te Kuiti, New Zealand UK tour team members Paerata Abraham and David Gordon, of Masterton, Ant Frew, of Pleasant Point, and Masterton shearer Adam Gordon.

Team members Allan Oldfield (blade shearer), from Geraldine, and Ngaio Hanson (woolhandler), of Eketahuna, also competed, as did New Zealand-based Cook Islands team members Alex Smith and Keryn Herbert, and Senior shearer Clay Harris, of Piopio, and Open woolhandler Cushla Abraham, of Masterton.

Others expected to compete in Edinburgh over the next two days include team members Tony Dobbs (blade shearer), of Fairlie, and wool handler Candy Hiri, of Gore, and shearers LiamNorrie, of Cheviot, and Will Sinclair, of Balclutha.

Other World championships competitors based in New Zealand are Chile team member Luis Pincol and Robyn Krause, of Germany.

The World championships teams are limited to two competitors in each category of machine shearing, blade shearing and woolhandling, the six finals (individual and teams) being decided on Sunday.

Tickets for the championships, with competitors from 29 countries during a show that attracts about 100,000 people through the Ingliston gates each day, are reported to have been sold out, with some now being sold via social media.

Ant Frew, who has shorn five seasons in the UK, winning two competitions along the way in a career that included a semi-final placing at the 2017 New Zealand Golden Shears, senses the excitement and passion that goes with the industry and the competition, sometimes referred to as “sheepshit on the brain.”

A South Canterbury shearing contractor who has employed several of the competitors, including from the UK and Germany, said: “I decided to come over for a couple of weeks to catch up with friends.”

“I like catching up with other people that you don't see very often,” he said. “And it's good shearing against the best in the world, here and in New Zealand.”

“It will be fast,” he said, looking ahead to the competition, which is expected to open with sunny weather and temperatures up to 22deg, although some rain is forecast for Friday and Sunday.

“They seem to shear faster in the heats thann at home, but there is less wool on them as well,” he said. ”And the crowds really get in behind the shearers here.”

Highlighting the differences for competitors in varying conditions around the World, he said that with the sheep in the UK being softer in the skin the shearer’s gear “has to be just right” to minimise the penalties from the judges.

Jack Fagan won’t be able to go for a repeat of the Speedshear titles he won associated with the 2017 championships in Invercargill and the 2019 championships in Frances, because there isn’t a Speedshear in championships week in Edinburgh.

But he will be in the Royal Highland Show’s Open-class shearing field, on the back of a final placing at the Royal Three Counties Show in Worcestershire last weekend.

Son of Sir David Fagan, who won the World individual title five times, he said: “Everyone is prepped and ready to take on the Highland Show. It’s a highly-anticipated event, and we are all looking forward to competing and enjoying the Scottish hospitality.”

The championships were originally scheduled for the show’s 200th anniversary last year, but were postponed 12 months because of the global pandemic.

Programme for the first day of the 19th Golden Shears World Shearing and Woolhandling Championships and Royal Highland Show championships on Thursday, June 22, 2023 (New Zealand time in brackets, livestream https://www.royalhighlandshow.org/rhs-tv/):

7.30am (6.30pm) Royal Highland Show Junior shearing heats.

8.30am (7.30pm) Young Farmers heats

9am (8pm) Junior shearing semi-finals

9.30am (8.30pm) Royal Highland Intermediate shearing heats.

10.30am (9.30pm) Junior shearing final.

10.45am (9.45pm) Young Farmers final.

11am (10pm): Royal Highland Senior shearing heats.

Midday (11pm) Junior and Young Farmers presentations.

12.45pm (11.45am) Intermediate shearing semi-finals.

1.15pm (12.15am) Senior shearing semi-finals.

1.45pm (12.45am) Junior Three-Nations test shearing match.

2pm (1am) Intermediate shearing final.

2.20pm (1.20am): Senior shearing final.

3pm (2am) Intermediate and Senior shearing prizegiving.

3.30pm (2.30am) Novice woolhandling heats.

4.30pm (2.30am) Novice blade shearing.

5pm (4am) Novice woolhandling final.

5.30pm (4.30am) Presentations.

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