Welsh shearers start NZ tour at Tauranga Show   13 Jan 2015

Shearing Sports New Zealand

MEDIA RELEASE

From Doug Laing, on behalf of Shearing Sports New Zealand

January 13, 2015

Welsh shearers start NZ tour at Tauranga Show

From Doug Laing, media officer, Shearing Sports New Zealand

Two bright hopefuls on the UK shearing scene will step-out for the first time in Welsh colours on tour when they Open a New Zealand tour at the Tauranga A and P Show on Saturday.

They are Rhys Jones and Gwion Lloyd Evans, both off farms in North Wales and effectively showing their own colours as potential challengers to 2014 Wales World Championships representatives Gareth Daniel and Richard Jones in the race to represent their country at the next World Championships in Christchurch in two years’ time.

On Saturday they will open a six-venue tour against a provincial selection, the first step in preparing for tests against the New Zealand team of Te Kuiti shearing legend David Fagan and former three-times New Zealand national circuit champion and Rakaia shearer Tony Coster at Goe next month and Pahiatua on March 1.

Jones, from Maes Truan Farm, near Corwen, and who has shearing runs in Wales and Norway, arrived in New Zealand just last week. But he has shorn more than 13 seasons in New Zealand over the years, working for Fagan’s family in the woolsheds of King Country.

In 2003, at the age of just 22, he shore 647 sheep during a successful attempt with compatriot Nicky Beynon on the British ewes record for two stands in nine hours.

Evans, from Llansannan, near Denbigh, shears about eight months each years and has done six seasons in New Zealand for contractor Colin Thirkell, also in King Country. Evans had his biggest success in competition to date when he qualified for a place in the team by winning last year’s Wales Circuit.

Tauranga was a happy-hunting-ground for Gareth Daniel and Richard Jones last January, beating King Country shearers Mark Grainger and Jack Fagan as they kicked-off a campaign which culminated with an unprecedented Welsh second placing in the World championship teams event in Ireland in May – beating Kiwis Rowland Smith and John Kirkpatrick.

They will get some preparation for Saturday’s match, against a team to be chosen on the day, when they shear during the day in the Tauranga Open championships, which was won last year by David Fagan.

The father-and-son Fagans will miss this year’s show, travelling south for the Northern Southland Community Shears on Friday and the national crossbred lambshearing championships at Winton on Saturday.

There will be plenty, however, to attract top shearers to Tauranga, with the show being followed by the annual Te Puna Speedshear, with a $2000 first prize in the Open class and $1000 for the quickest Senior.

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