SWIMMING.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 122, 15 February 1908, Page 9

SWIMMING.

(Br Splash.)

. COMING CARNIVALS. 15. —Swifts' A.S.C., at To Aro Baths, i'ob. 29.—Wellington A.S.C., at To Aro . Baths. Mar. ,14.—Wellington Centre, at Thorndon. Mar. 19 and 23.7-N.Z. Championships, at " Napier. ;

-- ...T ® second annual carnival of the Woodville Amateur Swimming Club ' was an unqualified success,, and the officials have reason to feel pleased with tho . support \acthem by: competitors and the general public. Considerable credit is due to Cyril Aston,..lion.', secretary 'to tho Club,' for-.-the' smooth ''manner ; in" which the 'arrangements wMr."Aston; who is well'known in elhngton swimming circles,was successful - 1 !}, " 1 . 0 P'ungo competition :at Woodville, covering 35 feet. A .strong' contingent .of iy)l! ler swimmers' was present, including J. M Carthy;(Hastings) andFVJ. Kcrnot, lata or Auckland.";;- M'tlarthy/,carried off -the 200 yds 'Hawke's Bay Championship,; only, however, beating : Kernot by a few inches (time, ,2min.. 36sec.). . Tho lOCtyds ; club championship; -was.,won by. . Nicholas' in lmili: 26 l^Ssec.'' A'.'. Elwood,' who acquitted inmsqlf well, at; Masterton; on Anniversary .Day, won tho; neat .header ovent. . ,

Tho.Star Boating Club .held .its. annual nri Saturday last, in the presence of i largek-gath'ering. of spectators,'The'wat'er was:'only slightly, ruffled' by the ...light,"north-" erly breeze; bijt.it' was.somewhat regrettable that, tho tide was'low; especially for the neat header, competition.;; The secretary for tha sports, Mr. -G. Johnston; worked. well, and conducted the oarnival -in -a very -;businesslike.manner. In the • maiden race seven swimmers faccd tho starter, and the winner turned ' up,"iii"M: Turner,','who covered .the distance in 38 seconds. • After a false start five competitors' got away in the ; 100 yds championship. C.;-Fordham showed out ' a couple of: feet' ahfead, but P.'' Gibbons, soon displaced him, and at 20 yards had a yard to the pood over Fordham and L. ,Jenkinson, while L. Bridge (last year's chariipion) was. being.badly fouled by B. C. .Frcyberg. ; After pulling out'from 'Bridge, Freyberg swam straight for some \o yards, and. then crossed in.front: of Jenkinson and Fordham. .After,,', however, turning for the -. sccond lengthy-Freyberg swam consistently straight, and catching Gibbons (who was swimming on- the-blind 'side);-a - few- yards -from ''home, - won by a couple' -of feet in 69sec. The remainder of the' field was bunched about six yards away. The 50yds handicap brought out over 30 competitors, and was swum in four heats and,a final.' Amongst the startersin the first heat was .H.' Banks, who lias: been in retirement for :the" past two seasons. ; This heat, was;won by K. Wardrop in 38seo. The .second' heat .brought out' the biggest' field of the; day. The; winner, R. Lewis, • swam'the distance in 39 2-ssec. G. Fell, the winner-of the .next heat,.'and' also. of '.tho final, competed ,at the Thorndon carnival, ! but without success. The; fourth' heat was won by N. Pownell in the-excellent time of 31 2-ssec., On' this Itinie ho should have won tho final. B; C. ..Frcyberg, scratch man .in this heat, swam off an angle to the course, and spoiled his chance. ;•' The 440 yds (?) hhndicap, which was swum frqm.the-Queen's Wharf to the Star.sheds, brought out six'' competitors, but only; three finished. ' Smith; led for a great part, of the journey, ■ when' he - was caught by Jenkinson and Fordham, who were swimming - stroke for stroke.- Jenkinson made every effort- to outdistance Fordham; who stuck to, his opponent.; very, persistently.. . At' the finish, . however, Jenkinson was in the lead by about a dozen - yards. -B. C. - Frcyberg,'. who • (le-.\ scribed a serni-circle in . swimming his course,- thereby' throwing away his chanco of ■ winning, , was /-about five ' yards ' behind Fbrdharii.: Tho . winner's time was '6min. 32sec. ■ \.

~ About a dozen men came'forward for the neat ..header .competition, anil .the judge,' ! ]Mr. A;: -W;-Smith,- had somo difficulty in. separating G. C. Johnston, A. R". Brewer, and C. H. Mack. In the dive' .off,, however; Johnston: won easily, Brewer. making a faulty dive.- , • .. •■. : .

._ ,H. Barron ■ w*on the 50yds breast stroke in 44sec.,'R. Lewis,"who swamsecond,/.being .-disqualified."ln this connection it may be advisable to quote tho N.Z.A.S.A.'a definition of breast stroke: "A competitor must swimi on the surface, of the water on his breast, both hands being pushed straight forward: from the centre .'of the,- chest, and brought round to the starting . point, shoulders beingkkept square, to the-, body, ', the kick of thelegsto be'frog style;'". Swimming with face turned sideways is notallowed." . „ • s The Swifts Club holds, its carnival at the | baths to-day, : and, judging from the entries, it should prove an interesting gathering! The Arthur Firth 50yds handicap, which was sivum at .Thorndou on; Wednesday, brought out a big field, although, the entries' did not- reach last. year's record of 4-5 competitors., I : have 110 doubt that the above: figuto would' have been, reached had Mr: -Firth been, well enough to work up .the entries. '- Some", /'capital 'racing resulted. Fred.', Roberts -won., the fourth lipat' by a touch ,frpnr,Rona.yiie;.in 28 2-ssec., the lat- ' ter-* just beating C. -A. Macdonald , and ' R. : - ■ Nelson.- ' Maiidonjild adopted' the "crawl": 25 yards, by - which' method lis' is able to get. through . the ■' water at a great pace.' . . 'I; strongly advise Macdonald to praqtisb this stroke; K;- Wiggins spoilt his cliance- by 'swimming a very erratic .course, 'arid,' Fell and* Picot spoiled each other's' chance liy fouling. Tho winner. ■ turned-obt'.to r be"'W; Allan,..who. swam' well. ; put,jn; a,good,finishing sprint, ; ; but just failed" :to win the trophy by a few ■ inches. : . '

' The thirteehtli : annual carnival of the Wellington. Club is'to'Be'lield at the To Aro Baths on February 29.,' The following pro-, gramme has.: been drawn. upsoyds novice liandicaplooyds inteMlub handicap; 50yds schoolboys'.'handicap; 50y.ls' ladies' bracelet (handicap) ; iica't header.;(inter-club), points to , ; count.;.fo.r :flight, entryvand 'recovery; comic interlude; . life-saviug race,; 50 yards (rescuer to' swim ' clothed in trousers, vest and shirt to "drowning man," a distaneo of 25.'yards,, and'.bririg him. tact to starting point); 200 yds schools' relay championship (teams=oF four.'-to Represent primary schools up to and including the sixth standard): flying squadron;,relay, 200 yards, teams of four men,, teaps'to be picked by handicapper. Entries "close on lebriiarv 2-1. '