Shearing Record A Struggle But On Target

A shearing record set just three days ago looks to be under some threat today despite the early struggle challenger Catherine Mullooly is experiencing in a remote North Island west coast woolshed.

Starting at 7am at Nukuhakari Station, west of Te Kuiti, and chasing the World women’s solo eight-hour strongwool ewes record of 386 shorn on Sunday by Wairarapa shearer Amy Silcock near Pahiatua, the 34-year-old Mullooly was averaging comfortably over 13 every 15 minutes in the first two-hour run to morning tea, to be taken at 9am.

The first official tally won’t be available until after the morning-tea count-out.

Despite the struggle put-up by some of the full-wooled sheep, the pace if maintained would see her shearing over 400 by the time the clock stops at 5pm.

Sheep were taking as little as 53 seconds each on the flyers, mainly over a minute, 70-80 seconds on those described by onlookers as the most “stroppy”, but almost all under the rate of about 74 seconds a sheep needed to break the record set by Silcock, who, having two rejected late in the day, had official run tallies of 95, 97, 101, and 93.

A panel of four World Sheep Shearing Records Society judges, headed by Scotsman Andy Rankin, is overseeing the bid.

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