MEDIA RELEASE

On behalf of Shearing Sports New Zealand

January 18, 2012, 9am

Shearers face big ask in World record bid

Shearers Stacey Te Huia and Sam Welch are facing a bit of catch-up in their World nine-hour ewe shearing record bid in the King Country today.

Starting at 5am at Te Hape, on State Highway 30 east of Benneydale, they shore 292 in the two-hour run to breakfast, just short of the hourly average needed to break the two-stand record of 1335 held by Southland shearers Darin Forde and Wayne Ingram, who shore 306 in the opening run of their triumph 16 years ago.

Te Huia fell well short of his goal of 160 in the first run, shearing just 143 at the start of his bid also for the solo record of 721, but Welch fared much better, shearing 149.

The remainder of the day comprises four runs of 1 hour 45 minutes, the next ending at 9.45am, and the day scheduled to end at 5pm.

After a few days' fine weather, rain and fog shrouded the woolshed, as it did when Te Huia's sister, Kerri-Jo, set a women's lambshearing record last week.

ENDS