Huw Jones to attempt British 8-hour ewe shearing record

Huw Jones, 27, from Mid Wales, has been shearing since his teens and now divides his year between farming at home and working seasons in the UK and New Zealand.

“Shearing season usually starts for me in England around late April, then I head back to Wales by the end of May,” said Huw.

He shears alongside friend Gwydion, covering local farms, beginning with rams and yearlings before moving onto ewes and mountain flocks.

“We try to finish before the Royal Welsh Show so we can enjoy it properly,” he added.

Farming has been part of Huw’s life from the beginning. “Mum and Dad always involved me and my brother in decisions – sometimes probably too early – but it taught us to think for ourselves.”

He also holds a degree in Agricultural Engineering from Harper Adams University.

“Even though I don’t use it day-to-day, it’s something to fall back on. Education’s never a waste,” he said.

A turning point in his shearing career came after winning the Louise Owen Memorial Shearing Scholarship, which took him to Napier, New Zealand, to work with top shearer Brendan Mahony, a trip he still makes annually.

Huw credits record-breaking shearers like Matt and Rowland Smith, Gareth Daniel and Ian Jones as his inspiration.

“Watching them planted the seed. I knew I wanted to aim for something similar,” he said.

That goal came into sharper focus last year when he sheared 704 ewes in nine hours.

“That day made it real. I decided then to go for the British 8-hour record.”

One of his proudest moments so far was winning the Senior Championship at Corwen Shears, but he says Rowland Smith’s example has had the biggest impact.

“He’s incredible – on the show stage and in the shed. I used to hate shearing lambs until I saw Rowly do it. That’s when I stopped making excuses.”