SWIMMING WOMEN’S 440YDS WORLD RECORD

Press, Volume XCIII, Issue 27861, 9 January 1956, Page 14

SWIMMING WOMEN’S 440YDS WORLD RECORD

BRILLIANT SWIM BY LORRAINE CRAPP (N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) (Rec. 8 p.m.) SYDNEY, Jan. 8. Lorraine Crapp last night broke the women’s 440-yard freestyle world record. She recorded smin 7sec in winning the State championship at the North Sydney Olympic pool—a fifth of a second faster than the world record of the Dutch swimmer, Mary Kok. Miss Crapp beat Pam Barton by 20 yards, with the New Zealander, Marrion Roe, five yards back, third. Miss Crapp led after the first 55 yards from Miss Roe, —ith Miss Barton third, and at the 110 yards mark she had increased her lead to one yard and a half. At the halfway mark, she ws 10 yards in front, and with one lap to go, she had established a lead of 20 yards. Miss Barton finished strongly to beat Miss Roe. Miss Barton’s time was smin 24.1 sec, and Miss Roe’s smin 28.5 sec. Fourteen-year-old Gergaynia Beckett caused the biggest shock of the carnvial by beating. a field of stars in the 110 yards open backstroke championship. The State champion, Pam Singleton, finished second two yards behind Miss Beckett, with the New Zealander, Jean Stewart, a yard further back, third. Miss Beckett’s time of Imin 17.6 sec set an Australian junior record. She gathered in the field in the second lap and went to the front 15 yards from the finish. Miss Singleton d ouled the rope several times in the second lap. CANTERBURY TITLES MOTION LOST AT CENTRE MEETING A motion that in the Canterbury provincial swimming championships, swimmers representing another centre should be allowed to compete but not hold titles was lost at a special general meeting of the Canterbury Centre of the New Zealand Amateur Swimming Association on Thursday evening. Mr M. Duckmanton, who moved the motion, said he understood that every other centre except Canterbury allowed visiting swimmers to compete in their championships. "We grizzle and groan because we cannot fill the pool and get the public interested.” he said. “If we had some New Zealand title-holders from other centres competing, we would go a long way.” “Swimming in Canterbury is dormant because of lack of experience, and many swimmers are asking what they can get in the way of competition. If we allow our swimmers to travel round the country and compete in other centres, it should be good enough for us to allow visiting swimmers to compete here,” said Mr Duckmanton. Mr J. Broomfield seconded the motion. The secretary (Miss D. Brown) said she did not think the Canterbury provincial championships should be turned into a national meeting. “It would be a secondclass honour for Canterbury swimmers to be second in races,” she said. Mr J. Stentiford: I have got definite instructions on how to vote with this motion, and even if we sit here all night I will still vote the same way. We have hammered this out before.”

The motion was lost after a secret ballot was taken.

On the motion of Mr A. a 1650 yards freestyle championship for men is to be included in events held by the centre.