Champion Irish Shearer Ivan Scott
Irish shearing champion Ivan Scott from Kilmacrennan showed he’s on target to tackle one of the world’s toughest shearing challenges when he clipped 820 Irish ewes in nine hours in Mayo last Saturday to set a new Irish record.
The previous record was 483, set by Wexford man, George Graham in 1997.
Scott who hails from Ballyscanlon is planning a bid on New Zealand shearer Dion King’s World solo nine-hour crossbred lambs record of 866 in Cornwall on July 29th.
Already holder of the world eight-hour lambs record of 744, shorn in New Zealand over four years ago, Scott blasted his latest tally on Saturday at Frank Jennings’ farm at Hollymount, between Ballinrobe and Claremorris, in County Mayo.
Scott opened the day with 178 in the first two hours and followed with successive 1hr 45min runs of 160, 161,162 and 159.
He passed the previous Irish ewes record after just 4hrs 52mins, and a big crowd gave him a standing ovation with about 10 minutes to go when he passed 800 – thought to be easily the biggest one-day tally on any sheep and in any conditions in the UK.
There were strong Kiwi connections, including record-breaking Cartwright Terry who travelled from West Australia to take the crucial role of “second,” standing alongside Scott on the shearing board and monitoring the clock and the tally as the shearer averaged 39.51 seconds a sheep – caught, shorn and dispatched.
The actual shearing time on each sheep, from the time he switched the machine back on to start each sheep to switching-off to make the next catch, averaged less than 30 seconds.
Having shorn in New Zealand almost every southern summer over the last 15 years, Scott is no newcomer to record-breaking shearing, first succeeding in New Zealand on December 19th, 2008 when he shore a World solo eight-hours strongwool lambs record of 736 at Rerewhakaaitu, near Rotorua, breaking the eight-hour strongwool lambs record of 731 set six years earlier.
That record was broken when Hawke’s Bay shearer Cam Ferguson shore 742 in New Zealand’s central North Island in January 2011 – six months after winning the World Championship. Scott regained the record when shearing 744 at Taupo, in January 2012.
It remains the eight-hour record but now Scott’s eyes are on the big record set by King at Moketenui, on January 10th, 2007.
Ivan is the son of Robin and Greta Scott who follow his record breaking career with pride.
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