Watch: Reuben Alabaster’s shearing record attempt live-streamed

Reuben Alabaster's shearing world record attempt is all go. Photo / Supplied

A teenager’s bid for a world shearing record today has come down to not only a battle of stamina but also the weather outside the woolshed in a remote pocket of the central North Island.

The solo eight-hour strong wool lamb shearing record bid at Te Pa Station, south of Raetihi and Ohakune, started at 7 am, with 19-year-old Reuben Alabaster soon onto the target pace.

However, much of the central North Island is under a MetService severe thunderstorm watch for the afternoon, with late-morning temperatures at Ohakune down to 14deg, and rain falling and expected to increase in the afternoon.

But the lambs, with about 800 undercover overnight, remained dry.

Needing a two-hour-run average of over 186 in the eight-hour strong wool lamb shearing record attempt at Te Pa Station, south of Raetihi and Ohakune, the 19-year-old Alabaster shore 188 from the start at 7 am to the morning tea break at 9 am.

It was one more than the opening run of record-holder and Irish shearer Ivan Scott’s record of 744 shorn almost 11 years ago at Opepe, near Taupō.

Alabaster needed to hit 373 by the halfway stage at the start of the one-hour lunch break at 11.30 am to be on target to break the record.

However, he was marginally off the pace in the second run, with 183 for the run and 371 on the board for the day.

By comparison, Scott shore runs of 187 and 199 for a total of 376 at lunch.

After a one-hour lunch break, Alabaster was back for his third run, where he shore 187 from 12:30 - 2:30 pm.

While he’s on target for the record it will be a close call, as he will have to shear 187 lambs in the final two hours.

The bid is scheduled to end at 5 pm.

Live streaming is available here.

About the record attempt

Taihape teenager Reuben Alabaster’s attempt on the world solo eight-hour strong wool lamb shearing record today has been given the green light after a flock sample met the required wool-weight standard.

A minimum of 0.9 kg of wool per lamb was required under the rules of the World Sheep Shearing Records Society and in the pre-record wool weigh on Monday afternoon 20 lambs shore an average of 1.07 kg each.

The record attempt will take place at Atihau-Whanganui Inc’s Te Pa Station, 859 Oruakukuru Road, Waimarino 4691.

Shearing four two-hour runs from 7 am-5 pm, with half-hour breaks for morning and afternoon tea and an hour for lunch, 19-year-old Alabaster will be attempting to break the record of 744, which was shorn by Irish shearer Ivan Scott near Taupō almost 11 years ago.

He will need to average at least 93.125 an hour to break the record, in which Scott shore successive two-hour runs of 187, 189, 186 and 182.

Oruakukuru Rd can be accessed via Whangaehu Valley Rd off State Highway 49 south of Ohakune, or State Highway 4 south of Raetihi.