CHANNEL BID BY N.Z. SWIMMERS

Press, Volume XCIV, Issue 28053, 22 August 1956, Page 8

CHANNEL BID BY N.Z. SWIMMERS

(N.Z. Press Assnctation—Copyright) LONDON, August 20. Two New Zealand women swimmers. Miss Diana Cleverley and Miss Margaret Sweeney, are to make individual attempts to swim the English Channel. Miss Sweeney said she would make her attempt on or after August 28, when the tides would be most favourable. Miss Cleverley did not specify the date of her attempt. Due to rough weather only eight of the twenty-two entrants in last week’s race began the swim, and all had to retire. Miss Cleverley put up the best performance by a woman competitor in the accent cross-channel race. She battled the sea for more than eight hours before she gave up. Miss Sweeney was one of the contestants who thought the race had been called off because the boats could not land the swimmers on the French coast, and she did not start. The third New Zealand swimmer in the race, Wally Conza, began the race after being seasick all the way across the Channel in his pilot boat, but had to retire after two hours. He left London by air for New Zealand today.