Shear quality secures wins

Hawke's Bay shearer John Kirkpatrick.

Hawke's Bay shearers John Kirkpatrick and Rowland Smith had a dramatic and triumphant end to their CP Wool New Zealand team UK tour by winning the final test against Wales and finishing first and second in a hectic-paced Corwen Shears Open final.

The events were each shorn over 20 lambs per shearer as the two-day shears came to an end early yesterday (NZ time) in the small Welsh town of Corwen, Denbighshire.

Having won the opening tests at Lampeter the previous Saturday and the Royal Welsh Show last Wednesday, Wales secured the test series 2-1, and left New Zealand still without a series win in Wales since 2011, despite having never been beaten by a Welsh side in a test in New Zealand.

Welsh shearer Gwion Lloyd Evans was the fastest in both events, shearing 12min 7sec in the test and 11min 54sec in the Corwen Shears Open final as just 15 seconds separated the first five shearers.

In both events it was the quality of the New Zealanders' shearing, dominated by superior points in the pen judging, that carried the day.

They won the test by a comfortable 8.35pts, and in the Open final Kirkpatrick beat Smith by half a point, with just 0.05pts to third placegetter and 2014 and 2015 winner Gareth Daniel, of Wales.

It was Kirkpatrick's third individual win of the tour, and with Smith having had two wins the New Zealand team members claimed all but one of the show championships they contested on tour.

Immediately after the weekend show Smith headed off on the 300km trip to Launceston in Cornwall, where brother Matthew will on Tuesday attempt to break the world nine-hour strong wool ewe-shearing record of 721 set by fellow Hawke's Bay shearer Rodney Sutton in 2007.

Results:

CP Wool International (20 lambs): New Zealand 95.1pts (Rowland Smith 12min 34sec, 47pts; John Kirkpatrick 12min 22sec, 47.6pts,) beat Wales 103.45pts (Gwion Lloyd Evans 12min 7sec, 51.7pts; Ian Jones 13min 25sec, 51.75pts) by 8.35pts. Wales won the series 2-1.

Corwen Shears Open final (20 lambs): John Kirkpatrick (New Zealand) 12min, 46.55pts, 1; Rowland Smith (New Zealand) 12min 9sec, 47.05pts, 2; Gareth Daniel (Wales) 12min 2sec, 47.1pts, 3; Gwion Lloyd Evans (Wales) 11min 54sec, 48.9pts, 4; Ian Jones (Wales) 12min 36sec, 50pts, 5; Matthew Evans (Wales) 11min 55sec, 51pts, 6.