Shearing: NZ go down in third test

Rowland Smith, pictured during his world record triumph this week. Photo/Supplied

The New Zealand shearing team will have to back both their skill and a bit of history in the happy hunting ground of shearing jamboree the Corwen Shears to avoid a series whitewash in the last match of the CP Wool UK tour after being beaten by Wales at the Royal Welsh Show.

The Kiwi team of Rowland Smith and John Kirkpatrick slipped to 3-0 down in the series after Wednesday's test on Wednesday, less than 48 hours after Smith's World Record shear of 644 ewes in eight hours in Cornwall, England, and end the tour at Corwen on Saturday.

Smith also missed out on a place in the Royal Welsh All-Nations Open final which he won last year, when he was the third New Zeakand winner of the event Iin three years, after David Fagan's win in 2014 and son Jack Fagan's win in 2015.

Smith, pictured during his World Record triumph, was first to finish the 20 lsmbs taking 11min 51sec, and beating Welsh shearer Gwion Lloyd Evans by five seconds, and it was the board and pen points of Corwen shearer Richard Jones the carried the day as he swept back into the national side after winning the Champion Shearer of Wales final and scored best pen and board judging points.

Jones also won the All Nations Open final, in a rare outcome after being last to finish. Taking 14min 4secc for the 20 lambs he again had the best board and pen poins.
Smith and Kirkpatrick won last year's test at Corwen, where Kirkpatrick also won the Open all-nations final.

Earlier at the show, fomer multiple lower grades shearing and woolhandling finals winner Connor Puha, the No 1 ranked junior shear in New Zealand in 2015-2016, was fourth in the Royal Welsh Intermedaite final.

Results
CP Wool Shearing Sports New Zealand UK Tour Wales Series (20 lambs): Wales 97.45pts (Gwion Evans 1min 56sec, 48.55pts; Richard Jones 12min 43sec, 48.9pts) beat New Zealand 101.45pts (Rowland Smith 11min 51sec, 49.7ptd; John Kirkpatrick 12min 5sec, 51.75pts) by 4pts. Wales leads 3-0 and the last test is at the Corwen Shears on Saturday.
Royal Welsh All-Nations Open final (20 lambs): Richard Jones (Wales) 14min 4sec, 54.45pts, 1; Matthew Evand (Wales) 12min 51sec, 56.2pts, 2; Gareth Daniel (Wales) 12min 45sec, 56.2pts, 3; Gwion Lloyd Evans (Wales) 12min 57sec, 56.9pts, 4; Matt Smith (New Zealand) 12min 19sec, 60.15pts, 5; John Kirkpatrick (New Zealand) 13min 3sec, 62.9pts, 6.