Shearing: Kiwis end UK experience triumphant

The finalists at the Brecon County Show, with winner Jack Fagan (left), next to runner-up and 2019 World Champion Richard Jones, of Wales.

King Country shearers Jack Fagan and Clay Harris have wrapped up a busy season in the UK by each winning two finals in a series of back-to-back competitions at different venues in England and Wales.

Fagan, treading the trails of father Sir David 30-40 years ago, finished runner-up to new World Champion Gwion Lloyd Evans at Cothi on July 22, fifth in the Royal Welsh Open four days later and then won the Corwen Shears Open final on July 29 - where he beat Evans.

This started a succession of four competitions in four days as part of a double King Country hit at the Burwarton Show last Thursday.

The next day Fagan was runner-up to veteran Welsh international Gareth Daniel at the Bro Ddyfi Shears, and his biggest triumph was at the Brecon County Show on Saturday, shearing a 20-lambs final in 13min 35sec, a minute and 50 seconds quicker than the second man off the board.

It enabled him to claim victory by 0.9 points from whistle-clean Welsh shearer Richard Jones, who won the world individual title in France in 2019 and the teams title in Scotland on June 25.

On Sunday Fagan was third to Jones and Daniel at the Cneifio Bont Shears, at Pontrhydfendigaid.

This was Fagan’s last show before heading home to shear in Central Otago, represent shearers as a delegate at the Shearing Sports New Zealand annual meeting and ultimately return to Te Kuiti,

Fagan said it was pleasing to have made the finals of all the lamb shearing contests he had entered this season in the UK.

But the most prized victory was at Corwen, where the title had in the past been won by his father, uncle John Fagan, and cousin James Fagan.

Jack Fagan had gone overseas in fine form.

Last October he won the New Zealand Corriedale Championships in Christchurch and then in January won the NZ Crossbred Lambs title at Winton.

In between the two events, he shore a world record of 754 lambs in eight hours.

Meanwhile, Piopio shearer Harris, who had 10 senior wins in New Zealand last season including the big four of the Otago Shears, Southern Shears, Golden Shears and New Zealand Shears, won at the Burwarton and Bro Ddyfi competitions on Thursday and Friday, and was runner-up on Saturday at Oswestry.

Harris said he planned to work in Australia before returning to New Zealand and his first season competing in the open class.

Young Patea shearer Blake Mitchell, who in just his third competition won the Corwen junior final a fortnight ago, was fourth last week at Bro Ddyfi and won a junior event at the Bethesda speed shear on Saturday.