World shearing record bid ewe wool averages over 4kg a fleece

Amy Silcock, who attempts a solo world women's ewe-shearing record on Friday, pictured during a four-stand record in 2020. Photo / SSNZ

The stage is set for a Wairarapa shearer’s rare lower North Island attempt on a World women’s solo strongwool ewes record tomorrow.

Amy Silcock, of Tiraumea, will be attempting the record for eight hours at Ross Na Clonagh, 7 Balance Rd, Pahiatua, in the Tararua District.

Silcock will be looking to chase down the target of 370 set by English shearer Marie Prebble at Trefrank Farm, Cornwall, on August 25 last year.

She will need to average about 77.6 seconds per ewe - caught shorn and dispatched - or about 46.4 ewes an hour.

The all-clear came late Thursday afternoon, when a sample shear from the target flock averaged 4.09kg of wool per sheep - well above the required 3kg per sheep.

Silcock is already in the books of the World Sheep Shearing Records Society as part of a four-stand women’s record for nine hours - set near Turangi on January 23, 2020, when she shore 423 of the gang’s total of 2066.

The record attempt, starting at 7am and finishing at 5pm, comprises the standard eight-hour shearing day of four two-hour runs, with half-hour breaks for morning and afternoon tea, and an hour for lunch.

Four judges have been appointed, convened by obligatory overseas representative Ralph Blue.

He’ll be joined by South Island official Alistair Emslie and North Island judges Neil Fagan and Ronnie King.

Silcock is one of only three World Shearing Record attempts in the Wellington-Wairarapa-Manawatū region in the last 20 years, one being a women’s nine-hour ewes record of 452 shorn by Kerri Jo Te Huia in the Tiraumea area on January 15, 2018.

It is also one of three solo record attempts in the next nine days.

On Saturday, Australia-based South Island shearer Aidan Copp makes the first-ever record attempt in Tasmania, targeting the eight-hour crossbred lambs record which has only been in place for just over two months, after Floyd Neil, from Taumarunui, shore 527 near his base in West Australia on November 13.

Then, on February 4, King Country-based mum-of-one Sacha Bond will attempt the women’s eight-hour strongwool lambs record at Fairlight Station, about 12km south of Kingston and the southern reach of Lake Wakatipu.

The current record of 510 was set by Canadian shearer Pauline Bolay in the Waikato rural locality of Waikaretu on December 7, 2019.