Shearing: The UK record hopeful who was a likely lad in Hawke’s Bay

English shearer Steve Rowberry at the Wairoa A&P Show event in 2010. Now he's a contender for a world shearing record in the UK.

An English shearer who came to New Zealand more than a decade ago as a Junior competitor wanting to work, compete and rub shoulders with “the best” is now challenging to become one of the top shearers in the UK.

Steve Rowberry, who was a 21-year-old from Hereford when he first shore in New Zealand at the age of 21 in the summer of 2009-2010, will on August 4 attempt the world eight-hour solo strong wool lamb shearing record of 754 set by Te Kūiti shearer Jack Fagan.

He had originally intended just to shear for a British record, but believes after nine months of preparation, bigger chances beckon.

As it happens, Fagan was one of those Rowberry beat to take the win at the 2010 New Zealand Junior lamb shearing final at Raglan while working in Hawke’s Bay for contractors Brannigan Eastern.

Second in that final was workmate Jack Robinson, then aged 18 and now a multiple Northern Ireland champion and world championships representative.

The likely lads in New Zealand in the summer of 2009-2010: Steve Rowberry (left), now planning a world record attempt in England next month, and Jack Robinson, from Northern Ireland.

At the time, Hawke’s Bay Today referred to the pair as “likely lads”, which may have been an uncanny reference to other pursuits during their summer Down Under.

Rowberry will mount the first of seven 2023-2024 record attempts so far registered with the World Sheep Shearing Records Society.

The other six are set for the New Zealand summer, four of them by female shearers, including the first challenge to the women’s eight-hour two-stand lambs record set by Wairoa mum and daughter Marg and Ingrid Baynes in a King Country woolshed in January 2009.