New Zealand has lost a shearing test series in Wales for the first time in a decade of annual tours in the Northern Hemisphere.
The latest defeat came at this week’s Royal Welsh Show, taking Wales to a 3-0 lead and hoping to complete a series whitewash in the final test of the Elders Primary Wool 2013 UK Tour at this weekend’s Corwen Shears.
Golden Shears and New Zealand champion Rowland Smith was first to finish the test, shearing 20 lambs in 11min 58sec and beating next-man-off and Welsh champion Gareth Daniel by 26 seconds.
But the result was decided by the judges, particularly the board and pen of second Welsh shearer Richard Jones whose 10pts for quality was almost 3pts better than either Smith or teammate Tony Coster.
The Welsh had won the first two tests in the series at Cothi and Lampeter last Friday and Saturday, and the Kiwis will now be aiming to salvage a 50-50 record for their tour, which they opened with a loss in a single test against Scotland, before winning two tests against England and one against Ulster.
The Welshmen also showed their capabilities in the Royal Welsh Show All Nations Open final, won by Daniel, with Jones the runner-up. Rowland Smith failed to reach the six-man final, but brother Matthew did, and finished fifth, while Coster was sixth.
Results:
International: (20 sheep): Wales 97.18pts (Richard Jones 12min 30sec, 47.5pts; Gareth Daniel 12min 10sec, 49pts) beat New Zealand 99.78pts (Rowland Smith 11min 58sec, 48.85pts; Tony Coster 12min 23xsec, 50.25pts). Wales lead the four-test series 3-0.
Royal Welsh All Nations Open Final (20 sheep): Gareth Daniel (Machynlleth, Wales) 12min 24sec, 50.35pts, 1; Richard Jones (Glyndyfrdwy, Wales)13min 5sec, 50.72pts, 2; Gareth Lloyd Evans(Bylchau, Wales) 12min 24sec, 51.45pts, 3; Ian Jones (Llandrindod, Wales) 12min 57sec, 51.7pts, 4; Matthew Smith (Ruawai and Hastings, NZ) 12min 37sec, 52.6pts, 5; Tony Coster (Rakaia, NZ) 13min 53sec, 54.3pts, 6.
