Wool Processing

World women’s shearing record bid in West Australia in February

Doug Laing, Shearing Sports New Zealand. January 24, 2025

Alexia Phillips will attempt a women’s Merino ewe shearing record in West Australia on 22 February.

AT least one more world shearing record attempt is planned in Australia this summer, with a solo eight hour Merino ewe bid confirmed this week with the World Sheep Shearing Records Society.

New Zealand shearer Alexia Phillips, from Waikato, but based in West Australia, will make the attempt on 22 February at Spring Valley Farm, Capercup Road North, Darkan, about 200km south of Perth and 70km north of notable shearing townships Boyup Brook and Kojonup.

The target is the 358 ewes shorn by Jeanine Kimm in New South Wales in establishing a record for the category on May 4 last year.

More than 40 men’s and women’s records are currently recognised by the society, covering the standard work days of eight and nine hours, different breeds of strong wool and crossbred wool, and ewes, wethers and lambs, with machines or blades and shorn in New Zealand, Australia, the United Kingdom and South Africa.

The shift of focus back to Australia follows three strong wool lambs record attempts in New Zealand in the last month, all unsuccessful – attempts on two-stand and three-stand records before Christmas, and Monday’s solo men’s nine-hour strong wool lambs record bid near Dannevirke.

A proud Nicki Guttler. Image – Facebook.

On 21 December last year Nicki Guttler set a new women’s world record shearing 450 Merino lambs in eight hours at the Parkdale Merino Stud property at Dubbo, New South Wales, eclipsing the previous record set one month ago by 55 lambs.

On 20 January, Jamie Skiffington at ‘Waewaepa Station’ Dannevirke, New Zealand failed in his attempt to break the nine hour strong wool lamb record of 872 held by UK shearer Stuart Connor since 2021.

Phillips’ attempt follows 14 months of writing and rewriting the books for women’s shearing records, with new marks set for the solo eight and nine hours lambs and ewes categories in New Zealand, the eight-hour merino lambs and news ewes records in Australia, and a new nine-hour strongwool ewes record in the UK.

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Comments

  1. Don Mudford, January 24, 2025

    These record attempts are just that. They are world records. No mean feat. The physical training, mental training, body and technique training takes at least 18 months to build up the physical and ability to challenge a record. Even with more then 20 people helping with preparation on the day the shearer is on their own to accomplish the result. They take a team of trainers and supporters from around the world behind them to begin the training and quest to attempt these records. Congratulations to anyone who attempts a shearing world record. I wish everyone all the best who attempts a world shearing record.

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