Auckland quartet save best for last

Press, 20 March 1987, Page 36

Auckland quartet save best for last

By

KEVIN TUTTY

Ross Anderson and his team-mates in the Auckland Blue 4xloom freestyle relay team, Richard Tapper, Mark Weldon and John Steel, saved the best for the last event at the second night of the B.N.Z. national swimming championships at Queen Elizabeth II Park last evening. Swimming the first leg of the relay Anderson bettered his own New Zealand 100 m freestyle record set at the Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh last year. His time last night was 52.245. Building on that brilli-

ant start his three teammates chipped away at the national relay record and at the end they had lowered it by 3.77 s to 3min 33.535. The old record, set five years ago, was also held by Auckland. Anderson and Tapper had won individual titles earlier in the evening — Anderson in the 50m butterfly and Tapper in the 400 m freestyle, bettering his personal best by 2s and creeping under 4min 10s for the first time. While the two records in the one race were the highlight of the evening, and an indication that New Zealand’s freestyle

sprinting capabilities might at last be improving, there was oodles of merit in several other swims during the evenIngF Phillippa Langrell, a 14-year-old from the Wharenui club in Christchurch, burst away from a tight group of swimmers on the third leg of the women’s 200 m butterfly final and coasted to the finish well clear of her tiring rivals. Langrell’s winning time, 2min 22.495, was a personal best by 1.325, bettering the time she produced at the national age-group championships last month. She was delighted with

her first national open gold medal but admitted after the race that she had hoped to swim a second faster.

Anderson said after he won the 50m butterfly final last evening that he was after the New Zealand freestyle record at the championships and he felt it was within his capabilities after the way he felt in the 200 m butterfly final on the first evening.

“I felt I could have turned round and swum another 200 m.” He put his good times down to a lack of pressure at the championships. “I feel relaxed and my swim-

mlng is improving because of that.”

Sylvia Hume, of Auckland, treated herself to a long break from the pool after the Commonwealth Games and World championships last year. “I think you need a break after a heavy year like last year. I took a long break over Christmas and didn’t start training seriously until January,” said Hume.

The break has certainly worked for her. On the first night she was a comfortable winner of the 100 m backstroke and last evening she completed the double with the 200 m backstroke and in a time that was only

two seconds outside her best, set at last year’s national championships. Last night she swam 2min 19.695, a time that was less than three seconds outside Carmel Clark’s national record.

Tapper was looking for a faster time in the 400 m freestyle final that the 4min 8.57 s he recorded. He had hoped to be about two seconds faster, but he was still rapt with his effort.

Three months ago he moved to Auckland to train with the Roskill club and he said last evening’s swim showed the move was already paying dividends.

Results.— SWIMMING Men 50m butterfly; R. Anderson (A.), 2X05, 1; J. Steel (A), 2X2X 2; M. Weldon (A.), 20.32, X 4Mm treestyle: R. Tapper (A.), 4:8.57, 1; B. Fester (A), 4:10.42, 2; D. Walter (8.P.), 4:1X70, X 200 m breaststroke: R. Lockhart (A), 2:24.30, 1; G Thomas (A.), 2:27.19, 2; A. Church (Wn.), 2:36.23, X 100 m backstroke: D. Follows (Wkt.), 1:1.00, 1; P. Doig (Wn.), 1:1.64, 2; G Jones (A.), 1:2-32, X 4 x 100 m freestyle relay: Auckland Blue, 3:3X53, 1; Canterbury Red, 3:39.51, 2; Auckland White, X‘40.74, X Women 800 m freestyle: L. Robinson (C.), 9:1X62, 1; J. Foster (A), 9:27.91, 2; A McQueen (O), 9:28.08, X 200 m backstroke: S. Hume (A.), 2:19.69, 1; S. Musson (H.8.P.8.), 2:21.52, 2; A Simcic (G), 22X86, X 50m freestyle: J. Huitem? (A), 27.90, 1; T. Jeffs (8.P.), 28.13, 2; J. Tapper (S.), 28.20, X 200 m butterfly: P. Langrell (G), 2:22.49, 1; E. Carr (O.), 2:24.83, 2; R. Tauranga (Wirt.), 2:25.22, X 4 x 106 m medley relay: Auckland Blue, 4:4X75, 1; Auckland Green, 4:47.61, 2; Bay of Plenty, 4:4X79, X DIVING Men Open one metre springboard.—R. Vallance (Wkt), 499.25, 1; S. Mathie (Wkt), 434.45, 2; D. Finnie (Wkt.), 38X15, X Thirteen and 14 years three metre springboard.— M. Urbahn (M.), 236.55, 1; W. Te Hula (Wg.), 235.70, 2; V. Cromarty (M.), 214.75, 3. Twelve years and under three metre springboard.—J. Te Patu (Wg.), 19X70, 1; K. Arahanga (Wg.), 168.30, 2; D. Aitcheson (O.), 161.70, X

Fifteen to 17 years three metre springboard.—S. Mathie (Wkt.), 49X80, 1; D. Finnie (Wkt.), 43X60, 2; T. Young (Wkt), 42X90, X

Women . Thirteen and 14 years one metre springboard.—T. Paterson (Wkt), 295.55, 1; G. Flynn (Wg.), 27X85, 2; K. Bryant (O.), 27X35, X Open one metre springboard.—N. Cooney (Wkt), 429.10, 1; S. Stewart (A), 389.50, 2; C. Thomson (Wp.), 371.40, 3. Fifteen and 17 years one metre springboard.—K. Hudson (Wkt), 337.85, -1; G Thomson (Wai.), 327.10, 2; P. Morgan (Wkt), 321.85, X