NZ shearers beat Wales at home

The New Zealand team celebrates a 3-1 shearing test series win over Wales in Wales. Front (from...
The New Zealand team celebrates a 3-1 shearing test series win over Wales in Wales. Front (from left) are manager Ken Payne, of Balclutha, and shearers Rowland Smith, of Maraekakaho, and David Buick, of Pongaroa. The Welsh team in the third and fourth tests, was (back row, from left) Alun Lloyd Jones, manager Rhysian Price, and new world champion Richard Jones. PHOTO/CNEIFIO CORWEN SHEARS.
The CP Wool New Zealand shearing team of Rowland Smith and David Buick has broken a long-standing drought by completing a 3-1 win in the Agrimin test series against Wales in Wales.

The triumph, completing New Zealand's first shearing tests series win over Wales in Wales in eight years, came at the Corwen Shears, in North Wales, about 9am yesterday New Zealand time as the pair were announced fourth-test winners by 1.1pts over the Welsh stars, new world champion Richard Jones and world teams final runner-up partner Alun Lloyd Jones.

Hawke's Bay-based Northland shearer Smith and fellow farmer Buick, of Pongaroa, Northern Wairarapa, had opened the series with two wins last weekend at Cothi and Lampeter over Welsh shearers Aled Jones and Lloyd Rees, whom Buick and Southland shearer Nathan Stratford had beaten at Corwen last year and 4-0 in a series in New Zealand earlier in the year.

The two Joneses won their ways back into the team at the Royal Welsh Show midweek and won the third test to set the scene for the classic match at Corwen.

The black-singlet victory was part of a big day for New Zealand at the glamour Welsh event, as Smith also won the Corwen Shears Open final, and new world champion blade shearer Allan Oldfield, of Geraldine, successfully defended the Corwen Shears Open blades title.

While New Zealand has not been beaten by Wales in a shearing test in New Zealand, it had not won any of the annual series in Wales since 2011, when Smith, on his first tour after winning the first of now seven New Zealand Shears Open titles, joined fellow Hawke's Bay shearer Dion King on an identical winning path of test wins at Cothi and Lampeter, a loss at the Royal Welsh Show and a victory at Corwen.

Shearing in all four tests for Wales on that tour was multiple Welsh champion Gareth Daniel, and Richard Jones made his Wales-New Zealand international debut in the Royal Welsh Show victory.

Yesterday, Smith and Buick waged a frenzied battle, chasing Llangollen shearer Alun Lloyd Jones for time honours, which the Welshman won by completing the job in 12min 38sec, Buick next in 12min 52sec just pipping his team-mate.

A feature was the combination of Buick producing the best result in judging on the shearing board and Smith the best finished job in the pens.

In today's Corwen Shears Open final, Smith was second to finish, 15sec after new Royal Welsh Show Open champion and 2017 Welsh World Championships representative Gwion Evans, who shore the 20 lambs in 12min 52sec. Smith turned the tables with the better pen points and won by 0.4pts, but local Corwen hero Richard Jones, last off in 14min 15sec, had the best overall quality points, as he had in his world title triumph three weeks earlier.

Results.-

Agrimin International (20 sheep): New Zealand 98.4pts (Rowland Smith 12min 54sec, 47.55pts; David Buick 12min 52sec, 50.85pts) beat Wales 99.5pts (Richard Jones 13min 32sec, 49.7pts; Alun Lloyd Jones 12min 38sec, 49.8pts) by 1.05pts. New Zealand wins the series 3-1.

Royal Welsh Open final (20 sheep): Rowland Smith (New Zealand) 13min 7sec, 48.85pts, 1; Gwion Evans (Wales) 12min 52sec, 49.25pts, 2; Gareth Evans (Wales) 13min 11sec, 50.95pts, 3; Richard Jones (Wales) 14min 15sec, 51.1pts, 4; Stuart Connor (England) 13min 31sec, 52.6pts, 5; Jack Fagan (New Zealand) 13min 39sec, 54.6pts, 6.

Open blades (4 sheep): Allan Oldfield (New Zealand) 8min 45sec, 55.76pts, 1; Elfed Jackson (Wales) 10min, 65.75pts, 2; Rheinaullt Hughes (Wales) 11min 44sec, 73.2pts, 3; George Mudge (England) 12min 13sec, 73.65pts, 4; Rhydian Evans (Wales) 13min 56sec, 75.8pts, 5; Gareth Owen (Wales) 12min 20sec, 77.75pts, 6.

 

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