Shearing: Kiwis look for one last Welsh dig at Corwen Shears

The Wools of New Zealand and Wales teams and managers after the test match at the Royal Welsh Show on Wednesday. The Welsh team of Richard Jones and Gethin Lewis beat New Zealand shearers Paerata Abraham and David Gordon to give Wales a 2-0 lead in the three-test series.

The Wools of New Zealand shearing team completes its 2023 UK Tour on Saturday, hopeful of scoring a first win, despite the in-form quality of the opposition.

Masterton shearers Paerata Abraham and first-time international David Gordon went down 2-0 in a three-test series against Wales, when beaten by Welsh guns Gethin Lewis and Richard Jones at the Royal Welsh Show on Wednesday.

The final test will be a feature of the Corwen Shears in North Wales, where a New Zealand team of Rowland Smith and David Buick beat Jones and teammate Alun Lloyd Jones in 2019, to secure New Zealand’s first shearing series win over Wales - in Wales - in eight years.

It was the last test before the covid pandemic, the current series following the resumption of the annual reciprocal tests, with a tour by Lewis and teammate Dylan Wyn Jones earlier this year.

It ended with Wales still without a test-match win Downunder, but the pair got a home win at the Cothi Shears last weekend.

Then Lewis and Jones won their places in the 2023-3024 Wales team this week by winning the finals of the Champion Shearer of Wales and the Royal Welsh Open respectively and won the second test.

Lewis and Abraham thrilled the crowd with their battle for time honours, Lewis just pipping Abraham in finishing first in 11min 36sec, with Jones last to finish more than a sheep in arrears.

But the win, by 6.6pts, was effectively decided by Jones’ quality, which was 5.4pts better than the next best, that of David Gordon.

Lewis has shorn in New Zealand for the last six seasons with Hawke’s Bay contractor Brendan Mahony and hopes to return late this year, ahead of the next test series which is expected to be in February or March.

Meanwhile, Te Kuiti shearer Jack Fagan was fifth in the Royal Welsh Open final, and Daniel Biggs, of Manngamahu, and Adam Gordon, of Masterton, were third and fourth in the senior final, finishing on the same total points but with Biggs getting the nod by superior quality points.

In the Ladies event, Amy Silcock, of Pahiatua, was fourth and Tatijana Keefe, of Raupunga, was sixth.

In the Royal Welsh Blade Shearing final, England-based Michael Churchhouse, from Dannevirke came sixth.

In woolhandling, New Zealand transtasman series team member Cushla Gordon was fifth in the Royal Welsh Open and Sonya Fagan, of Otorohanga, was third in the intermediate woolhandling final.

On Monday, Marton shearer Jimmy Samuels won the £1000 (NZ$2072) show-week Penmaenau Farm speed shear, his first win in the Northern Hemisphere after more than 60 speed shear wins in New Zealand and Australia.

In February he won the AUD$20,000 Oberon Quickshear in New South Wales and in May he won the Wagga Wagga speed shear, with a first prize of AUD$10,000 and a trip to represent the show in Wales.

Results:

International (20 sheep): Wales (Richard Jones 13min 34sec, 47.2pts, 1; Gethin Lewis 11min 36sec, 48.95pts) 96.15pts beat New Zealand (David Gordon 12min 8sec, 48.3pts; Paerata Abraham 11min 39sec, 54.45pts) 102.75pts. Wales lead 2-0 with the last test at the Corwen Shears on Saturday.

Royal Welsh Open final (20 sheep): Richard Jones (Wales) 13min 39sec, 47.65pts, 1; Gareth Daniel (Wales), 13min 11sec, 48.95pts, 2; Gwion Lloyd Evans (Wales), 12min 57sec, 49.2pts, 3; Alun Lloyd Jones (Wales), 13min 7sec, 50.45pts, 4; Jack Fagan (Te Kuiti, NZ), 13min 3sec, 50.45pts, 5; Ian Jones (Wales), 13min 49sec, 52.95pts, 6.