The first of two world record shearing attempts this week has been a successful one, with 19-year-old Kiwi Reuben Alabaster challenging the solo strong wool lamb shearing record of 744 lambs, set by Irish shearer Ivan Scott at Opepe (near Taupo) in 2012.
Alabaster started his attempt at 7am this morning at Te Pa Station, in Waimarino, south of Raetihi, and in the dying minutes passed the old record to set a new total of 746.
The teenager had been training for nearly seven months for the record attempt.
The day consisted of four two-hour runs, with half-hour morning and afternoon tea breaks and an hour for lunch. In 2012, Scott shore 187, 189, 186 and 182 lambs in the four runs.
Today, Alabaster shore 188, 183, 187 and 188 respectively, to bring up his total of 746. That means the 19-year-old shore an average of just over 93 lambs an hour.
While Alabaster may be young in age, he’s no stranger to competition.
At 14, he was the youngest winner of a major title in the junior-to-open grades, claiming the New Zealand Shears Junior title at Te Kuiti.
Born and raised in Taihape, Alabaster could shear 100 lambs in a day at just nine years old, turning full-time at 16.
Alabaster has tasted success in Te Pa Station’s shearing shed before, breaking the five-stand, nine-hour record in December last year, with a 774 lamb total. The breakdown of that number is catching, shearing and dispatching a lamb (on average) every 42 seconds.
That record was broken alongside Te Kuiti’s Jack Fagan, who shore 811 lambs in the team effort.
Fagan will be next to challenge the new record set by Alabaster, his turn comes on at Puketiti Station, Mangaotaki, near PioPio, on Thursday.
It will be the first of five record bids scheduled in New Zealand over the next seven weeks.
On January 4, the two-stand record held by Whanganui shearer Sean Edmonds will be challenged in Whanganui by local shearer Simon Goss (brother of Black Fern and former shearer Sarah Hirini) and Rotorua shearer Jamie Skiffington.
Two women’s records will be targeted in the following weeks, with Tararua district shearer Amy Silcock chasing the women’s eight-hours ewes record of 370 on January 27, in Pahiatua, and, eight days later, King Country shearer Sacha Bond will attempt the lambs record of 510 at Fairlight Station, in Northern Southland.
SHARE ME