TWO Welshman have set a new record by hand shearing 397 sheep over the course of nine hours.

The pair, Gareth Pennant Owen and Clive Hamer, managed to shear an average of 44 sheep per hour, over a nine-hour period, at Fernhill Farm, Compton Martin, in Somerset, with Mr Owen managing to shear 202 of those himself.

Using 7 ¼ inch blades, they sheared Romney cross Shetland lambs, which were provided by Andrew Wear, and, as there were no previous UK records, the duo have established a British first.

Mr Owen is a sheep farmer in the Snowdonia National Park, near Caernarfon, in Gwynedd, and farms more than 1000 sheep at 2600 feet, with his wife and two daughters, aged 11 and 13. He first started blade shearing at the age of 15, and has competed for Wales and sheared around the world, and he has recently just returned from New Zealand, where he competed in the world championship blade shearing finals.

Commenting on his success, and the fact this is a first UK attempt, Mr Owen said: "We are delighted to have now set British records and benchmarks, which open up the path for others to try and follow.”

Mr Hamer farms at Hirnant, Elan Valley, near Rhayader, and shears sheep commercially both in the UK and in New Zealand. He also regularly takes part in sheering competitions.

He said that the feat had been a "big challenge", but it would be a good benchmark for others like him. He commented: "We were both aware that, unless standards such as these are set, there is nothing for others to aspire to. I am sure that in the not too distant future, we will see other shearers taking up this challenge.”

Mr Owen also added that being able to use a pair of shears is quite a handy thing to be able to do. He explained: “I do truly believe that this is an important skill which should be maintained, especially for upland farmers. ach year I probably blade shear between 150 to 200 sheep, usually those which have strayed. The shears are light to carry and, depending on the breed, size, and condition, you can usually shear a sheep in about 2 to 3 minutes.”

British Wool's head of shearing, Colin MacGregor agreed, and said: “Shearing is integral to the harvesting of wool and as such we must ensure that we maintain skills across a range of techniques. In the last few years there has been a resurgence in both competitive shearing and record attempts, both which have helped to raise the profile of sheep shearing.

"As a result we now have a very healthy group of young people across the UK who want to develop their all-round shearing skills and this includes blade shearing.

“On behalf of British Wool congratulations to both Gareth and Clive for their achievements and for setting the first ever blade shearing standards.”