A crowd packed into a King Country woolshed had to wait till the last moments of a 480-minutes day before seeing a world ewe-shearing record broken by just two sheep this afternoon.
Shearing at Te Hape, east of Benneydale on State Hioghway 30 between Te Kuiti and Taupo, Coel L'Huillier, of Te Akau, and Kelvin Walker, of Taumarunui, shore 1068 to beat the two-stand eight-hours strongwool ewes record.
The previous record of 1066 had been set by brothers Rowland and Doug Smith on January11, 2011 at Waitara Station, north of Napier-Taupo highway landmark Te Pohue.
L'Huillier, who in 2013 helped set a five-stand lambshearing record, shore successive two-hour runs of 134, 133, 135 and 135 for a total of 537, while record-attempt newcomer Walker shore 134, 130, 133 and 134 for a total of 531.
The record bid started with rain falling outside at 7am, but it got finer and warmer as the day stretched into the afternoon.