THERE was an international flair in the air of the MacRobert Pavillion as shearing and woolhandling entries were boosted by competitors using the Royal Highland Show as a warm-up for the World Championships in France next month.

As well as increased entries, large crowds of spectators made the most of the improved facilities – including state-of-the-art TV screens – within the MacRobert Pavillion as Edinburgh bids to host the 2022 World Championships.

With some tougher competition throughout a win was perhaps made all the sweeter for former Huntly native Gavin Mutch, who echoed his result at the 2016 Highland Show to win both the open and Scottish National finals.

Gav ‘the Flying Scotsman’, winner of the World Championships in 2012 and Golden Shears in 2015, had already edged a half-sheep lead over his rivals when he went in for his fifth of 20 hoggs in the open final at the 2 minute 30 mark. In what was considered to be one of the fastest ever finals at the Highland, Gavin pulled the cord on 13 minutes 48 with the pack of six finalists shearing 120 hoggs between them in under 16 minutes. This gave Gav an average time per hogg of just under 41.5 seconds compared to the pack’s average time of 45 seconds.

That fast time helped the only Scot in the final maintain his lead to finish on a total score of 49.400 having notched up 25 board marks for double-cutting and 135 points in the pen for the number of nicks and cuts on the sheep.

With only 0.400 points separating the next three placings, England’s top shearer and second to finish timewise in 14 minutes 37, Adam Berry, secured the blue ticket having scored 20 on the board and 147 in the pen to notch up 52.200 points.

Fellow Englishman Stuart Connor was close behind on 52.350 in third having breached the 15 minute mark with 18 on the board and 124 in the pen.

Wales’ Richard Jones had the tidiest shear in the final and scored the lowest board and pen marks of 13 and 105, finishing on 52.600.

Another with low scores, Northern Ireland’s Jack Robinson, came in fifth with 54.650 while Welshman Alan Lloyd Jones was sixth with 56.400.

Setting himself up well for the open final, Gav led the way in the Scottish National to secure his place on the Scottish team for 2020. With the lowest board and pen scores in the final of 18 and 145, he also finished his 19 hoggs in the fastest time of 14 minutes 11 to land a score of 51.129.

Fellow Scottish teammate heading to France next month, Fifer Calum Shaw, who won both the open and the National at last year’s Highland Show, secured second place having pulled the cord just three seconds later. Combined with 19 on the board and 164 in the pen, Calum finished on a score of 52.332.

In third with a total tally of 55.563 was Hamish Mitchell, another former winner of both sections at Ingliston who won the World team title with Gavin in 2014. The Lochearnhead lad picked up 24 on the board and 190 in the pen in a time of 14 minutes 46.

Less than quarter of a point split the next two placings as Andrew Baillie took fourth place with 64.237 while Archie Paterson was fifth with 64.516 and in sixth was Stuart Davidson with 67.771.

England reigned supreme in the England versus Scotland test when Stuart Connor and Adam Berry’s combined scores totalled 99.583 against Calum Shaw and Gavin Mutch’s 101.051.

It was a full Scottish line-up in the blade final when five hand shearers took to the stage to clip five hoggs. Having represented Scotland a number of times, it is surprising that 2019 marked just the second time Willie Craig has won the blade final at the Highland but he did so in style with the lowest board and pen marks of 9 and 62. Added to a time of 23 minutes 29, Willie notched up a total score of 49.425.

The fastest finisher in 21 minutes 7, Wilson Wyllie, added the next best pen score of 98 to a board mark of 24 to total 56.075. Not far behind in third place with a score of 58.800 was the second member of the Scottish blade team, Mark Armstrong. Having led the pack most of the way, the only female shearer, Katie Reid, landed fourth with 61.625 while Cameron Wilson finished in fifth with 72.950.

The bumper entry of 48 seniors and 43 intermediates battled it out for the top spot. Among the seniors, the lowest pen mark of 55 helped push David Gordon into the top spot when added to a board mark of 13 and a time of 6 minutes 57 to total 30.564.

Only 0.022 points split second and third spots but Russell Smyth’s lowest board mark of 9 edged him second place with 32.057 while Alex Smith finished third with 32.079.

It was a similar story in the intermediate section as Wullie Hurcomb landed first place with the lowest pen mark of 34 to finish on 31.750. In second was Andrew Rae with 32.050 while Adam Garthwaite was third with 32.900.

David Scott finished at the top of the junior line-up with 33.350 while Billy Gray was second with 35.750 and Alex Butler scored 36.700 and third place.

An unprecedented entry of 23 woolhandlers competed in the open section and it was an international affair in the three-stand final. The fastest time of 45 seconds once the last shearer pulled the cord combined with the lowest table mark of 43 gave Welshman Aled Jones the lead with a total score of 65.500.

Fance’s Adele Lemercier picked up the lowest board mark of 16 and second place with 87.000 while New Zealander Nikki Gore was third with 106.000.

The woolhandling test saw England’s Hilary Bond Barding and Zoe Porter Watson secure first place having picked up the lowest table score of 57 and a total of 82.400. Wales picked up second place with 84.400 while Scotland was third with 90.700.

LEADING awards:

Open (20 hoggs) – 1, Gavin Mutch (25 board mark, 135 pen mark, 13 minutes 48 seconds, 49.400 total score); 2, Adam Berry (20, 147, 14.37, 52.200); 3, Stuart Connor (18, 124, 15.05, 52.350); 4, Richard Jones (13, 105, 15.34, 52.600); 5, Jack Robinson (22, 115, 15.56, 54.650); 6, Alan Lloyd Jones (42, 163, 15.23, 56.400).

Scottish National (19) – 1, Gavin Mutch (18, 145, 14.11, 51.129); 2, Calum Shaw (19, 164, 14.14, 52.332); 3, Hamish Mitchell (24, 190, 14.46, 55.563); 4, Andrew Baillie (49, 174, 17.30, 64.237); 5, Archie Paterson (20, 176, 18.04, 64.516); 6, Stuart Davidson (29, 226, 18.07, 67.771).

England vs Scotland test (15) – 1, England’s Stuart Connor (30, 144, 12.33, 49.250) and Adam Berry (18, 158, 12.52, 50.333), 99.583 total; Scotland’s Calum Shaw (22, 133, 13.20, 50.334) and Gavin Mutch (30, 199, 11.49, 50.717), 101.051 total.

Blade (five) – 1, William Craig (9, 62, 23.29, 49.425); 2. Wilson Wyllie (24, 98, 21.07, 56.075); 3, Mark Armstrong (17, 105, 22.56, 58.800); 4, Katie Reid (24, 111, 23.05, 61.625); 5, Cameron Wilson (19, 132, 28.30, 72.950).

Senior (seven) – 1, David Gordon (13, 55, 6.57, 30.564); 2, Russell Smyth (9, 67, 7.04, 32.057); 3, Alex Smith (15, 65, 6.53, 32.079); 4, Stephen Morgan (15, 78, 6.50, 33.786); 5, Samuel McNabney (15, 88, 6.46, 35.014); 6, Lewis Harkness (20, 71, 7.25, 35.350).

Intermediate (five) – 1, Wullie Hurcomb (17, 34, 7.11, 31.750); 2, Andrew Rea (16, 44, 6.41, 32.050); 3, Adam Garthwaite (7, 48, 7.18, 32.900); 4, Ryan Adams (16, 63, 6.14, 34.500); 5, Alex Butler (16, 73, 6.24, 37.000); 6, William Ballantyne (17, 51, 8.36, 39.400).

Junior (five) – 1, David Scott (16, 45, 7.03, 33.350); 2, Billy Gray (13, 23, 9.31, 35.750); 3, Alex Butler (16, 34, 8.54, 36.700); 4, Clarke Hibbard (31, 48, 7.03, 36.950); 5, Steven Anderson (20, 44, 8.09, 37.250); 6, Standley Hibbert (25, 43, 8.13, 38.250).

Open woolhandling – 1, Aled Jones (18, 43, 45, 65.500); 2, Adele Lemercier (16, 62, 1.15, 87.000); 3, Nikki Gore (26, 59, 2.15, 106.000).

Six Nations woolhandling – 1, England (20 board, 57 table, 54 seconds, 82.400 total score); 2, Wales (18, 63, 34, 84.400); 3, Scotland (17, 70, 37, 90.700); 4, France (25, 106, 42, 135.200); 5, Northern Ireland (38, 141, 51, 184.100); 6, Ireland (49, 141, 59, 195.900).

NOVICE WOOLDHANDLING FINAL