Pencampwriaethau Cneifio'r Byd ar gyfer Sioe Frenhinol Cymru 2010
The Golden Shears World Shearing and Wool Handling championships are to be staged at the Royal Welsh Show in 2010 for the second time in the history of the event.
Many of the world’s leading shearers will converge on the showground at Llanelwedd, Builth Wells, to compete for the coveted world title which is currently held by Australian Shannon Warnest who won it in 2005.
As many as 20 national teams from countries around the globe will be taking part and Wales will be hoping to claim the championships for the first time since the world contest was introduced at the Royal Bath & West bi-centenary show in 1977.
The Golden Shears world championships were last staged in Wales in 1994 when the top individual award went to New Zealander, Alan McDonald. Wales has not yet produced a champion although Nicky Beynon from the Gower achieved third place in the individual machine shearing class in 1994, and came fourth in 1998 in the Republic of Ireland, while John I Davies, from Presteigne came fourth in Western Australia in 1986. John T L Davies, from Brecon, came sixth in 1988 when the contest took place in New Zealand. However, in 1998 a Welsh competitor, Angharad Lewis, became the World Woolhandling Champion when the event took place in the Republic of Ireland.
Plans are already in progress for the championships at Llanelwedd for which the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society’s shearing committee has chosen the slogan: “Royal Welsh Shear Magic 2010” and for which sponsorship is now being sought.
The shearing section is already one of the main attractions at the Royal Welsh Show which hosts the largest shearing competitions in the UK where more than 300 shearers compete over four days every July.
The world championships are governed by the Golden Shears World Council which consists of representatives from nine member countries. Each country can apply to host the championships in turn and this year they will be held in Norway.
The Golden Shears World championships include the Team Trophy, the individual Championship, the Woolhandling Challenge Trophy, the individual Blade Floating Trophy and the Chairman’s Perpetual Challenge Trophy.
The world championships will take place over the four days of the 2010 Royal Welsh Show from July 19 to July 22.