ON December 12, Coleraine shearer Russell ‘Rock’ Sypott shore 241 sheep in eight hours, breaking his previous record of 204.

Mr Sypott, who celebrated 50 years of shearing earlier this year, said he hadn’t gone close to shearing over 200 sheep in 40 years and he had only shorn over 200 sheep four times in a single day.

“I will never try that feat again, but to be able to do it was a great feeling,” he said.

“I had no intentions of doing it and the other blokes said they might have a crack at doing 400 and I said I might have a crack at doing 200 and then when I got to 24 for the hour, I said this could be done.

“I’ve probably only got about two years left before the body is completely gone, my knees are completely buggered now – it’s just too much hard work and it’ll be tough to give it away when the time comes around.”

Mr Sypott said it’s not so much him that should be recognised, but his own teammates who both shore over 400 sheep.

“Shearing beside two greats like that was another fate on its own – these days 200 or 300 sheep in a day is very common, but not 400 or more,” he said.

Across the day Shaun Te Maipi shore 450 sheep, Louis Sixt did 443, and Russell Sypott 241.