Shearers call it quits as record target slips out of sight

Shearers call it quits as record target slips out of sight

A King Country shearing gang’s attempt on a World record yesterday was called off half-way through as the three shearers fell behind the pace required to get their names into the books.

Shearing in a woolshed south of Te Kuiti, contractor Mark Barrowcliffe’s three shearers were targeting the World three-stand eight-hours lambshearing record of 1784, which was set in another King Country Woolshed 17 years ago.

The attempt was made by Gore-based Ringakaha Paewai, Peter-lee Ratima, from Pio Pio, and last-minute replacement Craig Fagan, of Te Kuiti, who after consultation with the judges called it quits at the lunch break with just 856 shorn in the first four hours, and 929 still needed to crack the record.

Paewai maintained an individual pace up to the mark, with 298 from two two-hour runs of 149 each. Fagan, nephew of shearing great Sir David Fagan and called-in to replace injured original record hopeful and Canterbury shearer Aidan Copp, shore 286 (144, 142), and Ratima shore 272 (135, 137).

The shearers would have needed to up the average to 155 per run per man to break the record held by Digger Balme, Roger Neil and Dean Ball, but observers at the remote woolshed said the lambs were unusually large for a record attempt and conditions on the day were cooler than had been hoped-for.

ENDS

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