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Well-known shearer Ivan Scott is attempting an amazing feat on Friday as he bids to set a new nine-hour strong wool lamb shearing record in Cornwall, England. Ivan, who hails from Kilmacrennan, Co Donegal, will need to shear in the region of 96.5 lambs every hour to break the current record of 866 lambs shorn in nine hours, which was set by New Zealander Dion King in 2007.
Competing among the world’s elite shearers, Ivan is no stranger to setting world records and currently holds the world eight-hour lamb shearing record. This was set in January 2012 in New Zealand when he shore 744 lambs. It was the second time Ivan set the record after the previous eight hour solo lamb shearing record he set in 2008 of 731 lambs was broken in 2011 when Cam Ferguson from New Zealand shore 742 lambs.
More recently, Ivan proved he was ready for the immense challenge that lies ahead when he shore 820 sheep in nine hours in Mayo and set a new Irish record.
Adjudicated by the Irish Sheep Shearers Association, Scott caught, handled and shore each sheep in an average time of just 39.51 seconds, with the actual shearing of many sheep taking less than 20 seconds.
Rules and judging
Tom Dunne, chair of the Irish Sheep Shearers Association, says that Ivan will need to be at the top of his game and also have a little luck on his side to claim the world nine-hour shearing accolade. “It’s amazing for a small country like Ireland to have a shearer of the calibre of Ivan Scott. The Irish Sheep Shearers Association wishes him the best of luck. We have no doubt Ivan is capable of setting a new record. He has the hard preparation done and now it’s down to the little things to fall into place. People don’t often realise but there are so many other aspects that need to also come right. Weather and nutrition of sheep leading up to the event can have an impact on the level of grease in the wool and in turn how easy sheep can be shorn, which is something that is outside the control of the shearer.”
Explaining the rules and judging of the record, Tom explains that it’s not all about speed with quality of the shear also having a large say. The first hurdle to cross is to have the lambs selected approved as being eligible for the record. The strong wool record means that each lamb has to possess 0.9kg of wool, which will be judged by shearing a sample of those selected, and equally important each lamb also has to possess a top comb of wool on its head – essentially a bob of wool. This makes it complicated to source over 1,000 Romney lambs, but also adds an extra complication to the test as the top comb also has to be shorn.
Final preparations
Ivan’s team is nearing the pinnacle of the precisely planned record attempt and the Donegal man is looking forward to the challenge ahead.
“We have some last-minute preparations which we are working through. Jeff Dorset, who has been with me from the start and helped get me here came over in advance and has been busy selecting sheep, getting crutching done and making sure everything is in order. I couldn’t have even thought about this and previous record attempts had I not been shearing with his team in New Zealand. It has been a lot of hard work but, hopefully, it will all have been worth it come Friday evening. So many others have also helped to make this possible and I also want to thank Bord Bia, FBD, IFAC, IFA and the Irish Farmers Journal for providing sponsorship for the event, along with Trefrank Farm where the shearing is taking place,” Ivan says.
The modest Donegal man is not one for talking up the impressive achievements he has collected, including nine All-Ireland titles since he started shearing seasonally in New Zealand at 20 years of age. Giving an insight into the tough work programme, Ivan’s normal working day in New Zealand starts at 5am and is nine hours shearing over a 12-hour day. That’s one of the things that has allowed him get to this point, but it also gives an idea of the determination he has shown. That’s outside of the evening gym work or high-intensity sprints that have become part and parcel of the preparations or the strict diet that he’s had to stick to. There is one final one-hour sprint shear to do today [Tuesday] to get ready and, after that, it’s all about getting as much carbohydrates and fluids in as possible with sweet potatoes and coconut water a mainstay in meals from here on.
The judges overseeing the event are Mark Baldwin from Australia, Ian Buchanan from New Zealand and Arwyn Jones from Wales. Along with overseeing time, each lamb shorn will be assessed on quality of the shear and if not to the standard required, lambs may be rejected from the count.
SHARING OPTIONS: