Clarke family's widespread aquatic success

Press, Volume CXVI, Issue 34104, 17 March 1976, Page 16

Clarke family's widespread aquatic success

(By

RAY CAIRNS)

There are two related Clarke families strangely each of four boys and a girl—to have furnished notable records in sport in Canterbury.

The first made its mark in rugby league. and achieved a unique distinction with al! four boys plating for Canterbun as half-backs in the New Zealand 15-years tournament. The best-known. Gary, became a Kiwi

But it is the family of the oldest, Ron, which is now making a distinct impression on Canterbury sport, only it is mainly in water sports, not on football fields. Four of Mr Clarke’s fam-

ily have represented Canterbury at various sports and the youngest. Garry, aged eight, started playing rugby last season and "was the top tryscorer in the lowest grade the rugby union has." But it is in three of the branches of aquatic sports tha: the most distinction has been achieved Linda at l£> the oldest and only gir! of the family, in 1973 became the first South Island girl to win the Mount Cook Lake Swim Classic — the Lake Rotorua swim to Mokoia Island. Her best swimming performance before that was a third placing in the national under-14 freestyle championship

Since finishing competitive swimming three years ago. Linda Clarke has made rapid strides in water polo She commenced the sport late in 1974 and by the end of that season was in the < anterbun women’s team

— only as a replacement, granted, hut still unlucky to miss selection for the

flr<t national team, so well did she develop in the New Zealand championships at Newmarket.

But nothing has stopped Linda Clarke this season. Not only did she captain North Beach to a meritorious runner-up position in the national championship. at its first attempt, but her magnificent wholehearted efforts won her the distinction of being named "player of the tournament.”

She has now gone back to swimming, merely for training for water polo, and showed a little of the old touch by breaking the Buller 100 yd butterfly record in 69sec last weekend.

John Clarke. 16, has achieved his best results in rugby. He was a Canterbury representative in 1973 and 1974 as a prop. but. said his father, "he was like a lot of underweight rugby players — in a position where he was never going to make it. So he changed to first five-eighths last season and improved a hell of a lot. ’

In a family with such a swimming involvement — all five are members of the North Beach club — it is inevitable that John should also swim. But it is mainly because of his interests in water polo and surf lifesaving, though he was swimming champion at Aranui High School.

David Clarke, at 15. is poised to achieve the best results in the water, and his only problem may be in giving justice to all three of his sports. Certainly, he is arguably Canterbury’s leading agegroup freestyle sprinter: he has broken the junior 100 m freestyle record alone seven times — getting down to 58.2 sec — and the 200 metre record twice. The only major setback was on the most important occasion, the national agegroup championships when he swam 59.55ec. easily his slowest time for two months A relatively late developer in swimming, David Clarke started winning Canterbury titles only in 1974. and breaking records last season. But when he started lopping seconds off best times, there appeared to be <.o stopping this gifted young man.

In 27 consecutive swims a year ago, David broke 27 records — at Shirley Boys’ High School, in the Buller championships. in the i n t e r-secondary school meeting, club titles and the junior Olympics. He also returned from being a member of the champion C anterbury under 15 water polo team to win three

medals at the national agegroup championships in swimming: the gold in the 100 m freestyle, silver in the butterfly sprint, and bronze in backstroke. He also dabbled in surf lifesaving for the first time last season, winning one junior surf race but arriving too late at Taylor’s Mistake for the final — and being sacked from a part-time job for taking the time off. There has been no stopping his progress in surf races this season, however, and the only races in which David has been beaten have been by much older competitors. The Victorians, Paul Nash and lan Clarke, beat him into third: Nash is now in the Australian Olympic Games swimming team. St Kilda’s Rex Harding beat him into second in the South Island championships: and David was fifth in the national championships — but he still has two seasons as a junior. Recently, of course, he had a day to remember al Taylor's Mistake, winning the junior championship; heading off Gordon Dinnison in the taplin; and swimming a great final leg in the surf relay. All this time, his water polo has developed too. A member of the Canterbury under-18 team this season, he has since been named in the New Zealand secondary schoolboys’ squad; and the fact that he is a natural left-hander should serve David Clarke well.

Lewis, aged 12, became the third of the family to play water polo for Canterbury this season when chosen for the provincial under-13 team. This made him a double representative, as he played for Canterbury at rugby in 1974. He recently' won the Freeville Schools swimming title an dhis father considers he could be. like David, a late developer in swimming

Ron Clarke came from a prominent sporting background. His father was a professional athlete and rugby league player, and all the sons gravitated naturally to rugby league. Gary played for the Kiwis in 1966 and 1968 and last season achieved more lasting fame by coaching Canterbury to victory against Auckland, in Auckland.

Ron also played for Canterbury, including the game against rhe 1954 Great Britain team; and the second-oldest. Jim. was vice-captain of the New Zealand schoolboys’ team. The youngest. Rex, four years ago completed the family record of

serving the Canterbury scrum in the 15-years team; and Bev was a Canterbury softball representative. Certainly, there is no record of a swimming background, and it was apparently . Linda who started the trend. “She was doing ballet at the time," her father recalled. “but came home one day and told us she was joining a swimming club. We suggested she couldn't really do both and she chose swimming. “All credit to my wile,

Pat. She took them along — because John and David started too — and Linda and David were members of Wharenui until Queen Elizabeth II Park opened.” The park is about a 3min walk from the Clarke residence in North Beach.

"A Saturday in the winter, especially, consists of a harder day’s work than during the week,” Ron Clarke reckons, detailing a programme which entails chasing four sons round various rugby fields in Christchurch. "But I love every minute of it.”