Shearing record set in New Zealand

Shearing brothers Doug and Rowland Smith have stamped a mark on shearing history by hammering an 11-year-old record by 80 sheep in a Hawke’s Bay woolshed.

The pair, who grew up in Ruawai in the Far North but are based in Hawke’s Bay, shore a combined total of 1066 ewes to beat the World two-stand eight-hours strongwool ewes shearing record 986 set by King Country brothers Hayden and Stacey Te Huia in a Rangitikei woolshed in December 1999.

Shearing at Waitara Station, a remote property north of Te Pohue, between Napier and Hastings, both surpassed their own personal best work tallies.

Recovering from significant back problems, the younger Rowland, aged 24, topped the day with 562, the third-highest eight-hour ewes tally on record. Doug, a 28-year-old who gave up engineering studies to follow the rest of the family into shearing, struggled in the last two-hour run, but finished strongly with 13 in the last 12 minutes, slightly faster than his average for the day, and finished with 504 - about 40 better than his previous best.

The two were quickly congratulated by Stacey Te Huia, who in December shore a solo record 603 in eight hours, beating the previous record 578 shorn by third Smith brother Matthew a year ago - the only eight-hour ewes tallies better than that shorn by Rowland Smith today.

The record came just 24 hours after World champion and fellow Hawke’s Bay shearer Cam Ferguson broke the eight-hour lambs record held by New Zealand-based Irish shearer Ivan Scott who on Friday tackles the World nine-hour lambs record - the pinnacle of records shearing.