Time's zeroing-in for champion New Zealand shearer Rowland Smith who is now in a weighing-game ahead of a World record bid startin in the UK early on Monday night(NZST).
Shearing at Trefranck Farm in Cornwall, England, Smith starts his bid for the World eight-hour solo strongwool ewes record at 6pm Monday (NZST), but with a hurdle to overcome first as World Sheep Shearing Record Society conduct a pre-sheer weigh overnight (Monday morning NZST) to establish the sheep, drawn from four properties and aged at least 18 months, are carrying enough wool.
Pre-crutched over the last week to conform with the rules, 10 sheep will be shorn and must average at least 3kg of wool.
While organisers expect no problems, the attempt could be abandoned if the wool-weight does not meet the requirement. The judges, drawn from three countries, can allow up to four sample-shears and wool-weighs.
Shearing four two-hour runs separated by a lunch break of an hour and two "smoko" breaks of 30 minutes each, Hawke's Bay shearer Smith, winner of 26 Open finals in New Zealand last summer, aims to break the record of 605 by the time the bid ends at 4am Tuesday (NZST).
