Catherine Mullooly winning the senior final at the Poverty Bay Show in Gisborne NZ in 2015. Image – SSNZ.

NEW Zealand sheep shearer Catherine Mullooly is continuing her relentless run towards smashing a world eight hour ewe record despite battling “stroppy” sheep.

At her current pace she is expected break the current record of 386 with about an hour to spare, but will shear on as scheduled to 5pm, with the possibility of even bettering the current nine hour record inside eight hours.

In the first hour after lunch in the record attempt at Nukuhakari Station in coastal King Country, est of Te Kuiti in New Zealand’s North Island, Mullooly sheared 58, taking her to 291, leaving just 96 in the remaining three hours to break the record of 386 set just last Sunday.

Mullooly had earlier shorn 116 in the opening run and 117 in the second for a lunchtime tally of 233, both runs being more than any female had shorn in a two-hour run in any adult sheep record attempt.

Referees panel member Neil Fagan said the sheep had an average liveweight of about 60kg – 4-5kg lighter than those shorn by Amy Silcock when she set a new record on Sunday. However, Mullooly’s sheep are carrying slightly more wool – just over 3.5kg — and have been described by onlookers as “stroppy”.

It is currently forecast that Mullooly will even shear more than the current nine-hour record of 452. A record that has stood for six years and is being challenged by King Country shearer Sacha Bond in Southland on February 9.

The tally periods are consistent with the regular working days in New Zealand wool sheds, with the eight-hour day comprising four two-hour runs and the nine-hour day starting with one of two hours followed by four of one hour and 45 minutes each.

Mulooly’s third run ends at 2.30pm, with 30 minutes for afternoon tea and then the final blast from 3pm to 5pm.

DOUG’S UPDATE

A world shearing record set last Sunday is set to be broken in the next hour as shearer Catherine Mullooly shears at a rate close to one ewe every minute caught, shorn and dispatched in a coastal King Country wool shed.

Shearing at just over 58 sheep an hour in search of the world solo women’s eight hour ewe shearing record of 386 she had shorn 349 in the six hours to the afternoon tea-break at 2.30pm.

She had had successive two-hour run tallies of 116, 117 and 116,  and resuming at 3pm for the last run was shearing at a pace which should see the record fall about 3.45pm, but she will shear-on to the end at 5pm.

Follow Mullooly’s record attempt live on https://www.facebook.com/shedtalknz/