Contest set to be ‘shear’ joy as championships promote young talent

Trial has grown from tiny event in a garden to one of the most popular in Britain

One of the highlights of the international sheep-shearing competition circuit will take place on Saturday in a marquee on the shores of Loch Earn.

Blackface sheep have been gathered from the surrounding hills for the event at Lochearnhead, which is a qualifier for the world championships in Le Dorat in France next year so wool handlers and shearers in both the hand and machine classes will be competing for a place in the Scottish team.

The contest started in 1993 as a tiny event in a back garden and, 25 years on, it has grown to be one of the most attended shearing events in Britain.

Organisers say the aim at Lochearnhead is to promote, develop and encourage young shearers who are essential for the future of the industry,

The exclusively Scottish Blackface breed championships were the first show in the UK to welcome the New Zealand team, and the Scotland versus Kiwis test is now a highlight of the event which is preceded by a tune on the pipes and a Haka.

The NZ team compete for the coveted Joe Te Kapa Memorial Trophy which was introduced in 2012 in honour of the New Zealand master who was a great supporter of the show.

There is also a Scotland versus Wales hand-shearing contest and a junior development test between Scotland and the Republic of Ireland.

The two top Scottish junior shearers win a trip to the Republic of Ireland to represent Scotland and the two top Irish juniors win a trip to the Lochearnhead competition in order to give juniors the chance to further their skills and career.

Picture: PA. Sheep arrive at the Lochearnhead event where sheep shearers from all over the world compete to take home the Scottish Blackface Shearing Champion title.