North Cumbrian competitors were well to the fore at the first speed sheep shearing event held by livestock mart firm Hopes, of Wigton.
Successful shearers from the area at Friday’s contest included winning novice clipper Alex Bland, a shepherd from Clea Hall, near Caldbeck, who set a strong opening time for shearing one sheep of 42.11 seconds.
He was narrowly ahead of his fellow Herdwick breeder Craig Fearon, from Borrowdale, whose time was 51.05 seconds. Close behind in third place was Adam Brown, from West Cumbria, with 51.09 seconds.
In the intermediate class, Dufton-based Jack Wills, from Fawcett Park, led the way with a very quick 37.62 seconds. Second place went to Cockermouth-based Thomas Hird, who achieved a very respectable 40.55 seconds, and in third was shepherd Murray Craig, from Thrimby Farms, near Penrith, with 43.32 seconds.
Earlier in the event, the open title had gone to Michael Jefferies, from New Zealand, who clipped in a phenomenal 28.39 seconds in his heat and 31.12 seconds in the final to edge out his travelling colleague Kapua Brown, with 33.53 seconds.
Both of these clippers are working with shearing contractor Steven Watson, based at Caldbeck, who had helped prepare the sheep for the evening — an outstanding run of Mule hoggs provided by the Peile family, from Greystoke Castle.
The most hotly contested class was the highly anticipated all Cumbrian final, in which 15 clippers took to the stand in the first round. Clipping contractor and farmer Ashley Storey, from Newbiggin, Kirklinton, led the way with a very fast qualifying clip at 31.61 seconds and final clip at 34.96 seconds, narrowly beating Cockermouth-based Ed Gate, with 36.66 seconds.
Ed had come from a big day clipping at Culgaith with Tom Blease and Jack Cartmel, who took third and fourth with times of 39.14 and 39.29 seconds, respectively.
Overall, the event was hailed as a huge success, with shearers present from all over northern England and Southern Scotland, and an electric atmosphere prevailing from start to finish. Plans are already being made for a similar competition next year.
The event was supported by sponsors Burnetts Solicitors, Jack Cartmel Clipping Services and Dan Taylforth Sheep Scanning, with equipment provided by Highway Shearing, Skelton.
