Canterbury swimmers dominate southern team

Press, 4 December 1979, Page 32

Canterbury swimmers dominate southern team

Canterbury swimmers j comprise more than half .the southern team for the interi regional carnival at the Newmarket Pool in Auckland on December 15 and 16. i Canterbury provides nine men and six women of the ! team of 26 to meet sides i from the northern and central regions. Otago (eight), I Southland (two) and Nelson I (one), provide the remainder I of the side. | The men’s and women’s backstroke races will be i stacked with swimmers of very even ability and should be the most keenly fought events of the week-end. Melanie Jones (Canterbury) and Andrea Hawcridge (Auckland), both Commonwealth Games representatives last year, will be challenged for their superiority by the

former New Zealand representative, Monique Rodahl. Gary Hurring (Auckland) is unlikely to start in the men’s backstroke and that will leave Canterbury swimmers with good prospects of wins. Gary Mason and Grant Gillard have both returned 100 m times in recent weeks that should earn them top placings if they can repeat them. Gillard will be joined by Gavin Dixon in the 200 m, and again both have the ability to scoop the first two placings. The Canterbury swimmers and their events are: Men.—Chris Ellis, 200 and 400 m freestyle: Dene Robertson, 100 m and 200 m freestyle; Mason, 100 m backstroke; Gillard, 100 m and 200 m backstroke; Dixon, 200 m back-

stroke; Grant Forbes, 100 m and 200 m breaststroke; Neil Crampton, 100 m breaststroke; Michael Smith, 100 m and 200 m butterfly; Malcolm Pearce, 200 m and 400 m medley. Women. —Jennifer Queen, 100 m and 200 m freestyle; Miss Jones, 100 m and 200 m backstroke; Trudi Garland, 100 m and 200 m backstroke; Rickie Binning, 100 m breaststroke, 200 m medley; Kim Dewar. 100 m breaststroke, 200 m medley. Nicola Chambers, 100 m butterfly. Other team members are: Men.—Kevin Brown, David Connor, Graeme Wright, Scott Wilson (Otago). Women. —Jenny Gwynne, Rebecca Tohill, Megan Tohill, Mary-Jane Ledgerwood (Otago); lona Condie, Coral Haugh (Southland); Kerrie Barkman (Nelson).