Scottish shearer and Taranaki farmer Gavin Mutch was
confident, but not making predictions on the eve of his
second attempt on the world eight-hour lamb shearing record,
near Stratford tomorrow.
The 30-year-old is targeting the record of 736, shorn near
Rotorua 12 months ago by Irishman Ivan Scott, the first
overseas shearer to set a solo shearing record in New
Zealand.
Christchurch-based Scott broke the 731 set in December 2002
by Justin Bell, now farming in southern Hawke's Bay.
A few days before Scott's success, Mutch abandoned his first
attempt at the record with 542 lambs shorn in six hours, the
target moving out of range as his condition deteriorated.
His crew's encouragement convinced him quickly that he should
have another go, and he said from his home today: "Last year
was a great learning curve, it wasn't a bad experience".
His determination has been shown by his absence from
competitions this season - he said he made the decision to
focus only on the record after making a one-day trip to the
Poverty Bay Show in Gisborne in October, from the farm he and
wife Pip lease from her family at Kohuratahi, near the
Taranaki-Taumarunui road.
He stepped up the cycling and running around the hills, but
has also had a solid run of shearing to prepare him for the
record bid, which will be on open-faced romneys.
Mutch's first job will be to keep pace with Scott's tallies
of 187, 185, 179 and 180 over the four two-runs into which
the day is divided under World Sheep Shearing Records Society
rules, which has appointed three judges to oversee the
quality of the shearing, one from South Africa.
The first run is from 7.30am-9.30am, the second 10am-noon,
the third 1pm-3pm, and the last 3.30pm-5.30pm.
"As long as I get a decent enough start I'll be happy. I'm
not one of those stupid people who say they're going to go
for 200 in the first run, and then don't do it," Mutch said.
The attempt is the first of three record bids so far
registered with the society.
Far North shearer Matt Smith has nominated January 15 for an
attempt on the world eight-hour ewes record of 560 at Waitara
Station, between Napier and Taupo, and Te Kuiti shearer
Stacey Te Huia is set to tackle the same record four days
later, near Bennydale in the King Country.
