GERRARD’S 10th TITLE Standing Ovation For Swimming Champion

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 31920, 22 February 1969, Page 14

GERRARD’S 10th TITLE Standing Ovation For Swimming Champion

(From Our Swimming Reporter] AUCKLAND. In an unprecedented scene at the Newmarket Pool, the crowd last night gave a standing ovation to D. F. Gerrard after the stocky little Aucklander had won the New Zealand 220 yd butterfly title for the tenth successive year.

Gerrard’s feat was the highlight of the second night of the national swimming championships, a meeting which the butterfly champion is making the last in his long and successful career.

Only the blunder of the Waikato centre in omitting 1. G. Campbell from the event prevented Gerrard from gaining the fullest satisfaction from his victory. Campbell had recorded the fastest time in the event this season and Gerrard wanted to match strokes with him in the final. At the selectors’ request, Campbell swam in the heats, and his time was only o.6sec slower than the champion’s. Miss Shipston’s Fourth

The outstanding Canterbury swimmers, Miss T. K. Shipston and A. B. Kindred, continued their run of gold medal successes. Miss Shipston won her fourth title in easily beating her fellow Olympian, Miss S. A. Whittleston (Hawke’s Bay), in the 110 yd butterfly, and, for good measure, broke her rival’s national record by O.lsec in the heats. Kindred left his five rivals to dispute the minor placings in the men’s 440 yd freestyle as his muscular arms pulled him through the water to a time only o.7sec outside the national record he set in the Centennial Pool last month. Predictions on the winner of the women’s 110 yards freestyle proved to be well astray. The title went to a 14-year-old Auckland girl, Felicity Crawford, who outsprinted the title-holder, Miss J. A. Wright (Canterbury), and the two fancied Waikato juniors, Heather Coombridge and Debbie Fisher. Miss Crawford is coached by the former Canterbury and New Zealand freestyle champion, Mr C. J. Chambers.

Canterbury Girl* Hurt Miss Wright pulled a stomach muscle in the 220 yards backstroke the previous night, but swam her best to gain the bronze medal under difficult circumstances. Canterbury’s other bright hope for the title, Catherine Whiting, who holds the national record, swam without her usual verve and was eliminated in the heats. Later, it was discovered that she had a back injury, and this caused a minor panic, for Canterbury had only four girls at the pool for the medley relay final, the others having been sent back to their motel for an early night. Susan Hunter was summoned from her bed, and arriving at the pool just in time, plunged into the water to swim the first leg for the team.

Auckland, given a grand start by the Olympic finalist. Miss G. J. Stirling, won the event from Canterbury in spite of a magnificent butterfly effort by Miss Shipston, who cut a 12 yard deficit down to a foot over two lengths of the pool. Title-holder Defeated It was a night to remember, too, for the crew-cut Taranaki all-rounder, B. Bond, so often a silver or bronze medallist in past years. Last night, he won the 440 yd medley title to add to the 220 yd medley gold medal he gained the night before, and he shook off a good field to win the 220 yd backstroke as well. The title-holder. P. J. O’Carroll (Auckland), whose training was interrupted by an attack of mumps in mid-season, was never a serious threat and finished out of the medals.

Repeating his feat of the shorter medley race, G. S. Walker (Canterbury) ceased home Bond and I. M. Johnstone

(Southland) in the quarter-mile to win the bronze medal. Canterbury also had Mark Lewis and J. R Tillson in the final. The highest bunched field of the session was in the women's 110 yard breaststroke. Donna Mcßae (Bay of Plenty) retained her title in a desperately close finish in which I.2sec covered the first five swimmers. Jocelyn Hay (Canterbury) was fifth, but had the satisfaction of swimming up to her best time. Another national junior record fell in last night’s finals. Russell Moffitt (Taranaki) took almost 3sec from the 440 yard freestyle mark in finishing fourth.

Gerrard was not alone in receiving an ovation for long service to the sport. Miss Doreen Brown, of Christchurch, a life member of the national body, received a presentation from Mrs M. R. Duckmanton, wife of the national president, to mark 50 years of attendance at New Zealand championship meetings.