New Zealand shearers take 2-0 lead over Wales

New Zealand shearers take 2-0 lead over Wales

New Zealand Shearing legend David Fagan is looking to celebrate his final retirement in the UK in triumph after he and teammate Dion King had a second test-match win over Wales early today.

Following Friday’s win by just 0.25pts in the first test at Cothi, the Kiwis beat Welshmen Gwion Lloyd Evans and Rhys Jones by a comfortable 4.3pts at the Lampeter Shears in a prelude to a third-test clash at the Royal Welsh Show on Wednesday.

Winner of 640 Open-class finals around the World over the last three decades, the 53-year-old Fagan had retired from competition at the New Zealand Championships in home-town Te Kuiti in April, when he bowed-out with a win in the New Zealand Shears Circuit final.

He initially resisted the temptation to take a place on the Shearing Sports New Zealand team this year, but later agreed to substitute for Rakaia shearer Tony Coster who was only available for the early stages of the eight-show tour, and will bow-out after the fourth test against Wales at the Corwen shears on Saturday.

Hastings shearer King led the charge in today’s test, shearing the 20 lambs quickest in 13min 22sec, Evans next-to-finish 10 seconds later, and Fagan next in 13min 52sec, with Jones alone on the board for his last two lambs.

Fagan also shore today in the final of the Lampeter Shears Open, in which Welsh World Championship team members Gareth Daniel and Richard Jones were first and second, ahead of possible selection for the last two tests. Fagan was fifth, again pipped by son Jack, who was fourth.

Major results from the Lampeter Shears at Lampeter, Wales, on Saturday, July 18, 2015:

Test Match (20 lambs): New Zealand 115.5pts (Dion King 13min 22sec, 56.5pts; David Fagan 13min 52sec, 59pts) beat Wales 119.8pts (Gwion Lloyd Evans 13min 32sec, 58.9pts; Rhys Jones 15min 52sec, 60.9pts) by 4.3pts. New Zealand lead 2-0. The third test is at the Royal Welsh Show on Wednesday, and the fourth at the Corwen Shears on Saturday.

Lampeter Shears Open final (20 lambs): Gareth Daniel (Machynlleth, Wales) 13min 39sec, 50.4pts, 1; Richard Jones (Corwen, Wales) 14min 33sec, 51.65pts, 2; Gwion Lloyd Evans (Llansannan, Wales) 13min 30sec, 52.5pts, 3; Jack Fagan (Te Kuiti, New Zealand) 13min 17sec, 54.35pts, 4; David Fagan (Te Kuiti, New Zealand) 13min 46sec, 55.35pts, 5; Rhys Jones (Llanelidan, Wales) 15min 53sec, 57.7pts, 6.

ENDS

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