Shear class attracts thousands of spectators to Gorey

Over 35,000 spectators descended on Gorey, Co Wexford, last weekend for the Golden Shears World shearing and Wool Handling Championships.

With shearing taking place from Thursday to Sunday, the event witnessed competitors from 27 countries compete for the top accolades in machine shearing, blade shearing (hand shearing) and wool handling.

Heavy rainfall at the start of the weekend and muddy conditions did not deter the crowds. In excess of 15,000 patrons are estimated to have passed through the gates on Sunday, with the glamour Golden Shears World Titles filling the ICM dome to capacity.

New Zealander Roland Smith claims top Golden Shears honour

Roland Smith from New Zealand won the coveted Golden Shears World shearing title.

Smith defeated an all-star line-up including defending world champion Gavin Mutch and Hamish Mitchell from Scotland, his fellow countryman John Kirkpatrick, Gareth Daniel from Wales and Australia’s Shannon Warnest.

Irish hopes in reaching the final were dashed earlier in the day when Ivan Scott from Donegal missed out on the final by the narrowest of margins.

The result was heartbreak for Ireland, and Scott, who was in top form after finishing runner-up to John Kirkpatrick in the All Nations final on Saturday evening.

Shearing quality proved to be the decisive winner for Roland Smith as he was fourth down the traps in shearing his 20 sheep. Hamish Mitchell, Gareth Daniel and Gavin Mutch had all finished ahead of the 27-year-old New Zealander but lost points when the quality of their shearing was judged.

Irish excel in teams finals

The individual world shearing machine final was one of seven Golden Shears world titles contested in Gorey on day four of the shearing.

Irish duo Ivan Scott and Tom Kennedy had spectators on the edge of their seats when shearing in the Golden Shears Teams finals sponsored by ICM/Slaney Meats. The two men could not be faulted in their efforts, shearing excellently among the world’s most elite shearers and finishing fourth.

As can be seen in the results table, there was only the narrowest of margins between the top four teams. In the Golden Shears Blade Shearing Teams final, the Irish team of Seamus Joyce and Peter Heraty from Mayo did Ireland proud finishing in fifth place.

Scott wins eighth All Ireland Open title

On day one of the championships (Thursday), Ivan Scott won his eighth-in-a-row All-Ireland Open Shearing title. The titles show the Donegal man’s dominance in Irish shearing since coming onto the scene in the early 2000s.

His latest triumph also raised expectations and hopes at the start of the championships of a shearer from the Republic of Ireland making the Golden Shears six-man final line-up for the first time.

Scott secured his win in an extraordinary fashion shearing his 15 hoggets in a time of just 13 minutes and 16.585 seconds. The All-Ireland Open was the only final event to take place on Thursday, with all other competitions consisting of all nations machine shearing, blade shearing and wool handling heats and semi-finals.

South Africans sweep the boards in blade shearing

South Africa’s recent dominance in world blade shearing events was well and truly confirmed in Gorey. The country’s blade shearers Zweliwile Hans and Mayenzeke Shweni won the top accolades in all blade shearing competitions.

On Saturday night, Zweliwile Hans narrowly defeated his fellow countryman in the All Nations Open Blade Shearing Final, sponsored by FBD, shearing five sheep in 12 minutes and 48.9 seconds and winning by a margin of just 1.56 points.

The tables turned on Sunday evening when Mayenzeke Schweni narrowly defeated his teammate on his way to securing the Golden Shears World Blade Shearing final sponsored by Novartis/CLiK.

While the winner took a minute longer to shear his sheep, the quality of his shearing carried him over the line with a convincing win of over 20 points.

The South African team caught the attention of many spectators and competitors in Gorey with their professional approach and sportsmanship. Following their win in the Golden Shears Blade Shearing Teams final, the two men were quick to acknowledge and identify local farmers who let them practice and get accustomed to Irish sheep as being instrumental to their success.

Speaking to the Irish Farmers Journal, the South African shearers said Irish sheep are similar in size but said there is a distinct difference in wool type.

“Most of our sheep have fine wool that is close to a hair-like feel while Irish are more strongwool. It was okay once we got shearing, although we did shear some sheep with horns (Blackface) and these were stranger to us.”

Commenting on farm size, younger members of the team said the difference between farms in South Africa is huge: “There are small and big. Some can have only a few sheep or cows, while others can be very modern and be up 10,000 hectares or more.”

Hand shearing or blade shearing is the main form of shearing, with a lot of farms having no electricity. Mayenzeke Scweni explains that in a busy day he can shear 110 to 120 sheep by hand.

New world wool handling winners

The wool handling championships saw new names added to the roll of honour, with England’s Hilary Bond defeating New Zealand’s Ronnie Goss, the firm favourite for the title, and Jonathan Haakull from Norway.

Ronnie Goss was first finished rolling her eight fleeces but her speed points tally was overtaken by the precision, skill and wool handling quality demonstrated by Hilary Bond.

There was a similar situation in the Golden Shears Wool Handling Teams final. The New Zealand team, including defending World Wool Handling Champion, Joel Henare and Ronnie Goss, were highly favoured for the title.

However, the title went to the Welsh team of Meinir Evans and Aled Jones after an impressive showing.

Shearing heading back down under

The 17th Golden Shears World Sheep Shearing and Wool Handling Championships is heading back to the southern hemisphere with Christchurch confirmed as the venue in 2017.

World Council chairman Greg Herrick said it is a huge morale boost for Christchurch at a time when they are rebuilding their city following 2011’s devastating earthquake.

He added the council was extremely happy to have grown the number of competing countries to 27, but said they will continue to promote and grow the number of participating countries.

Given its success in Ireland, he said there is no reason why there cannot be 50 countries in future competitions.

Shearing courses

Adopting improved techniques or shearing tips is viewed by the top-performing shearers as central to continuous development. A shearing course is being organised by Irish shearing competitor Tom Kennedy and Billy Donnellan. The course was due to take place this week but was delayed. It will take place next week in the vicinity of Gurteen Collage and is aimed at intermediate level shearers. Interested shearers should contact Billy on 087-0566460. A junior and intermediate level shearers course will be held towards the end of June in Westport.

Young shepherds winners

The level of skill and practical knowledge exhibited by participants in the National Young Shepherds Competition bodes well for the sheep sector. The competition, sponsored by ICM and FBD, identified David Keane from Mayo as the top young shepherd. Daryl Meehan, Gurteen Agricultural Collage and Liam Dillon, Kildalton Agricultural Collage finished second and third respectively. Two of the winners will be given the honour of representing Ireland in the European Young Shepherds Competition in France later this year.