Trio smash shearing record

Southland shearers obliterated the world nine-hour, three-stand shearing record at Mt Linton Station yesterday.

Led by a superb individual tally of 804 from Tuatapere's Shane Harvey, the trio combined for an imposing total of 2350 to wipe the record of 1933 set in the North Island nine years ago, the Southland Times newspaper reported today.

They passed the mark with an hour-and-a-half left in the final run.

The record-breaking effort was built on a big first run, the longest of the day at two hours, which yielded a total of 512 including 174 from Harvey and twin 169s from his older brother Peter Harvey and Blackmount farmer Jimmy Clarke.

The trio then put three consistent hour-and-three-quarter runs together of 461, 462 and 460 to giftwrap Southland's second nine-hour lamb record in more than 12 months after the six-stand record set at Wairaki Station in January 2005 by a team that included Clark.

Overcast conditions during the afternoon saved the shearers, and a crowd of 300, from the worst of the heat, although the Mt Linton shed had been well prepared with fans and dehumidifiers, the newspaper said.

With the record broken so early in the run, the new holders set about making their mark as hard to reach as possible, adding another 463 in the final stretch.

Tallies:
Jimmy Clarke (169, 149, 151, 146, 154) Total: 769. Peter Harvey (169, 155, 152, 150, 151) Total: 777. Shane Harvey (174, 157, 159, 156, 158) Total: 804.
Total: 2350 (previously 1933).

Shearing guru Darin Forde said the record was "right up there with the best".

"For a gang to achieve 400 more than the previous (record) that's a bloody mighty effort I reckon," Forde said.

- NZPA