Click go the shears as trio slashes world mark
Published: 31 Jan 2006
www.southlandtimes.co.nz

TALLIES Jimmy Clarke (169, 149, 151, 146, 154) Total: 769. Peter Harvey (169, 155, 152, 150, 151) Total: 777. Shane Harvey (174, 157, 159, 156, 158) Total: 804.
Total: 2350 (previously 1933).
 

SOUTHLAND shearers Shane Harvey, Peter Harvey and Jimmy Clark produced shear magic at Mount Linton Station yesterday to obliterate the world nine-hour, three-stand shearing record. Led by a superb individual tally of 804 from Tuatapere's Shane Harvey - who retired from full-time shearing in 2002 - the trio combined for an imposing total of 2350 to wipe the record of 1933 set in the North Island nine years ago.

So dominant was the performance at the Western Southland station that the mark was in sight as the shearers sat back to enjoy their afternoon smoko and they passed it with more than an hour and a half left in the final run of the day.

The record-breaking effort was built on a big first run _ the longest of the day at two hours _ which yielded a total of 512, including 174 from Shane Harvey and twin 169s from his older brother and Blackmount farmer Clark.

The trio then put three consistent hour-and-three-quarter runs together of 461, 462 and 460 to giftwrap Southland's second nine-hour lamb record in more than 12 months after the six-stand record set at Wairaki Station in January last year by a team that included Clark.

The slightly built Shane Harvey said his final tally was one he had only dreamed of previously. Overcast conditions during the afternoon saved the shearers, and a crowd of 300, from the worst of the heat, although the Mount Linton shed had been well prepared with fans and dehumidifiers.

With the record broken so early in the run, the new holders set about making their mark as hard to reach as possible, adding another 463 in the final stretch.

Shearing guru Darin Forde was in Clark's corner and was excited about another record by a Southland team.

"It's right up there with the best of the records. For a gang to achieve 400 more than the previous (record) that's a bloody mighty effort, I reckon," Forde said. "There's a lot of preparation goes in. You can't just get up and shear. You have to do a lot of physical work and look after your health."

See Saturday's Southland Times for more coverage of the Harvey boys' and Jimmy Clark's record-breaking day at Mount Linton.