The championships start at 9am, with junior, intermediate and senior heats before the Open heats start at Midday, an hour earlier than in the past.
Organiser Warren Parker said an earlier start was being tried to allow more time between the finals in the afternoon and the popular Speedshear at the Te Mata Club in the evening.
World record bid preparations aren’t disrupting the routine of World champion Cam Ferguson who will contest Saturday’s events just two days before tackling Irish shearer Ivan Scott’s World eight-hour lambs record of 736. Ferguson, the 27-year-old Hawke’s Bay shearer who won the World Championship in Wales in July, says that while the record bid on Monday in the King Country is the priority he will still shear in Saturday’s competitions, and probably also the Speedshear.
“I’m not going to give the Show a miss because of the record,” said Ferguson, who is attempting a record for the first time. “I still do the shows. That’s what I do.”
Ferguson began his record build-up in earnest when he arrived at Moketenui Station, on Boxing Day, and has been working ever since, apart from a one-day trip back to Hawke’s Bay to compete in Porangahau’s Duke Of Edinburgh Hotel Speedshear.
A winner of more than 60 speedshears – the quick version of the sport – he showed good speed in that event, dominating the preliminaries and recording easily the best time for a lamb. But he was beaten in the final over three lambs by former nine-hour lambs record holder Rodney Sutton.
Back at work he’s in good company this week, with new eight-hour ewes record holder Stacey Te Huia on one stand, and four-stand nine-hour lambs record shearing gang member James Fagan on another.
Ferguson hasn’t qualified for the 20-lambs Raglan final since 2008, when he was fifth behind winner Dean Ball, the Te Kuiti veteran who this week confirmed he’d be back to start the buildup for “one more go” at the Golden Shears Open in March.
The enormity of Ferguson’s record hopes is highlighted by the fact that his best tally to date in an eight-hour say is 680, four years ago at Whenuahou Station, Central Hawke’s Bay. He needs to up the pace from his previous best by more than seven an hour to break Scott’s record.
The heats of Saturday’s championship are also an important hit-out, being the fourth of five qualifying rounds in the PGG Wrightson National, in which Fergsuon still needs some good points to qualify among the top 12 for the finals at the Golden Shears in Masterton in March. The series is currently led by multiple series winner and Te Kuiti shearer David Fagan, 2009 and 2010 seris winner Tony Coster, of Rakaia, is placed 4th, and Ferguson is 7th.
The lambshearing championships at Raglan’s Rugby Grounds start at 9am on Saturday, with junior, intermediate and senior heats before the Open heats start at midday.
Two other shearing competitions are being held on Saturday as the Shearing Sports New Zealand season resumes after a six-week break for the busiest time of the year in the woolsheds. The other events are the Cooper-Wilson Kaikohe Championships in the Far North and the Peninsula Duvauchelle Show in Canterbury.
Leading points and placings in the PGG Wrightson National Shearing Championship after three of five qualifying rounds: David Fagan (Te Kuiti) 32pts, 1; Nathan Stratford (Invercargill) 30pts, 2; Grant Smith (Rakaia) 29pts, 3; Tony Coster (Rakaia) 22pts, 4; Angus Moore (Ward) 14pts, 5; Chris Jones (Renwick) 13pts, 6; Cam Ferguson (Waipawa) and Colin O’Neill (Alexandra) 12pts, 7eq; Adam Brausch (Dannevirke) and Alton Devery (Tuatapere) 10pts, 9eq; Eli Cummings (Pleasant Point) and Darin Forde (Winton) 9pts, 11eq; Dion Morrell (Alexandra) 8pts, 13; Abraham Paerata (Masterton) and Aaron Haynes (Feilding) 7pts, 14eq; Dion King (Hastings) 6pts, 16; Matt Tumohe (Kurow) and Charlie O’Neill (Alexandra) and Ringa Paewai (Dannevirke) and Gavin Rowland (Rakaia) 4pts, 17eq.
Media Release: Shearing NZ, 4.01.2011