On behalf of Shearing Sports New Zealand

December 22, 2010

It's wet outside, but fine in the woolshed

It's raining outside the King Country woolshed where local shearer Stacey Te Huia is today attempting to break the World solo eight-hour strongwool ewe shearing record, but the gun is still confident.

About 650 sheep have been undercover for the night at Moketenui Station, and 30-year-old Te Huia, from nearby Te Kuiti, hopes to shear more than 578 of them to break a record set just 11 months ago by Far North shearer Matthew Smith at Waitara Station, between Napier and Taupo.

Te Huia's already had one go, shearing 573 just four days after Smith's triumph last January. But he has otherwise been in the books for a long time, having set a two-stand record at the age of 19 with brother Hayden.

Sister Kerri-Jo, one of a large number of helpers, says he's confident and couldn't wait to get onto the board for the 7am start. He shears four two-hour runs with four World Sheep Shearing Records Society judges watching, including one from Australia. There are two half-hour breaks for morning and afternoon smoko and an hour for lunch, and the day is due to end

at 5pm, producing close to two tonnes of wool.

For updates during the day, go to www.shearingsports.co.nz

ENDS