Welsh And Kiwi Shearers Team Up For World Record Bid

Last summer Wairarapa shearer Paerata Abraham and Conwy Valley farmer Llyr Jones were fierce combatants in international shearing – one for New Zealand, one from Wales

But, in a way that only shearing seems to do, they will on Tuesday be side by side in a woolshed east of Masterton trying to set a World record together.

At stake is the World two-stand, eight-hours strongwool lambs record of 1410 set on January 4, 2023 by Simon Goss and Jamie Skiffington in the Goss family’s Mangamahu Valley woolshed northeast of Whanganui.

Abraham(iwi Rangitane), 41, the 2019 national shearing circuit winner, and 26-year-old Jones, who in March featured in the first Wales test-match win over New Zealand in New Zealand and in July won the Welsh shearing championship, will make their attempt at Whitespurs Station, Puketiro Rd, Gladstone, starting at 7am and finishing at 5pm, needing an average of about 41 seconds a lamb each, or 23 lambs each quarter-hour, caught, shorn and despatched.

In tune with the common eight-hour day shorn in New Zealand, there will be four two-hour runs, with half-hour breaks for morning and afternoon tea and an hour for lunch.

A pre-record wool-weigh will take place on Monday, when a shear of 20 sheep must average at least 0.9kg of wool per lamb for the record bid to go ahead.

It’s under the auspices of the World Sheep Shearing Records Society, with a five-man international refereeing panel monitoring the tallies and the quality, convened by former England international shearer Mark Fox. The others are North Island officials Neil Fagan and Ronnie King, and Donald Johnston and Robert McLaren, from the South Island.

In the 2023 record Goss shore 715, with successive two-hour runs of 182, 179, 179 and 175, and Skiffington, of Rotorua, shore 695 (166, 175, 177, 177).

They were 18 off the pace at the half-way stage lunch break, but powered through the afternoon to break the record by four lambs, their combined runs 348, 354, 356 and 352 comparing with the 362, 358, 348 and 338 shorn by previous record of 1406 set in 2002 by Central North Island shearers Justin Bell and Sean Edmonds.

For Abraham and Jones it’s not just a piece of global shearing match-making. Jones has been coming to New Zealand for several seasons, and shears for Masterton-based Abraham Shearing each summer.

Both have shorn woolshed tallies well in excess of the target rates for the record, but now face the pressure of doing it meeting the standards required by the judges, who have the authority to strike sheep not up to standard from the tallies and take further action if needed if the required quality is not sustained.

Neither is new to records shearing, Abraham having shorn 699 in an unsuccessful bid on the record 12 months ago and Jones having shorn 836 in a two-stand nine-hours UK record in 2022.

Abraham’s wife, national representative woolhandler Cushla Abraham, estimates about $25,000 has been needed to mount the record bid, including the fee to the World Sheep Shearing Records Society, accommodation for the judges and meals for the large crew that will be helping keep it on track. “Sponsorship is always hard,” she said. “Not many businesses have spare money in this economy but we were so fortunate to have such generous sponsors come on board from both the UK and New Zealand.”

The sheep will be coming from Whitespurs and two other farms.

“Out farmers have been so dedicated and excited to be a part of the record,” she said. “It’s awesome.” Tuesday’s bid is the first of three record attempts notified for the New Zealand summer, next-up a men’s three-stand strongwool lambs record of 1976 being challenged by Shane Ratima, Jimmy Samuels and Akuhata Waihape near Hunterville on December 18.

On January 20 Skiffington will be out to claim a second record, in a woolshed near Dannevirke, tackling the men’s nine-hours solo strongwool lambs record of 872 set in England by now Hawke’s Bay based Sru Connor in July 2021.

One record bid is currently scheduled for Australia, with Nicki Guttler on December 21 challenging the women’s eight hours merino lambs record of 395 set by Nikki Lyons in New South Wales on November 17.

The World Sheep Shearing Records Society currently has 11 records on its books for two-stand shearing, with seven for eight hours and four for nine hours, the two standard working days for shearing in the woolsheds.

The current two-stand records are:

Eight hours

Strongwool ewes: 1075 (Martin Howlett 539, Jonny Roberts 536), Bingley Farm, Salisbury, England, September 24, 2019.

Strongwool lambs: 1410 (Simon Goss 715, Jamie Skiffington 695), The Glades, Managmahu, NZ, January 4, 2023.

Strongwool lambs (women): 1283 (Megan Whitehead 686, Hannah McColl 597, Grant Bros Tin House, Gore,NZ, December 15, 2023.

Merino wethers: 709 (Dave Grant 356, Laurie Bateman 353), Hughenden Showgrounds, Qld, Australia, October 20, 2007.

Merino ewes: 924 (Cartwright Terry 466, Michael Terry 458), Westindale, Beau River, W.A., February 22, 2003.

Merino ewes (blades): 460 (Sammuel Juba 245, Bangani Joel 215), Victoria West, South Africa, February 10, 2006.

Merino lambs: 1079 (Dwayne Black 570, Troy Standbury 509), Yerramullah Park, Badgingarra, W.A., October 6, 2002.

Nine Hours

Strongwool ewes: 1341 (Stacey Te Huia 674, Sam Welch 667), Te Hape, January 18, 2012.

Strongwool lambs: 1637 (Rodney Sutton 823, Nigel Brown 814), Rangipo, December 23, 1999.

Merino ewes: 1066 (Floyde Neil 540, Levi Neil 526), Rockliffe Grazing, Kojonup, WA, Australia, April 22, 2023.

Merino wethers: 809 (Barry Taylor 405, Grant Smith 404), Omaha Station, Twizel, November 2, 1994.

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