SWIMMING.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 158, 28 March 1908, Page 9

SWIMMING.

(By Splash.) The Now Zealand swimming championship* havo beon decided, and the question of who ' is;-the" hotter' man ' between Malcolm Champion, of Auckland, and B.C. Freyberg, the Swifts Club champion, has been settled. Both men; come, out; of. the trials with credit, but tlie Auoldander proved his superiority ovci ■Qj'ery .'distance,-putting up tho spelndid per- 1 forma,nee of winning five out of tho six_ championships. Champion only started, in. th«-. ' fivo. distances, tho othor, the 200 yds. . breast. stroke,. beiifg''woii- : by -Angus . Russell, ,' v o) : , .' ' Christehurch., Freyberg;was also a ! non-star-' t-or .in .tlio,. :breast /.stroke,' raco.. Ha swam . well;,'in, the .other ; five ' events, •howerer)-'* 'and. ;g'ot " second ;; place'tff-. Champion-; in- each race; proving • perionty ovor'-the., other New Zealandcrs. Although' ho 'finisiied : second' in .tho-" lOOyds.i; ': Freyberg was disqualified in 'favour 'of Dawi-'. son, 'of.Dunedin,.'.for!..h'hving,.failed 'to;toucli.:' between, .the '.flags on' the. .finishing., pou-i . j. toon.- -■ - . ■'

... Descriptions of tho racis have already bees .;• • published, but the events can bo summed up shortly. 1 lii tho.distances.over 220 yds. Cham-', \ pion - had - things all ■ his own' _ way v and • thfl \ ~ issue : ' was aicver in doubt in either the ■■ 440yds.,'SSOyds., .(Sr. tho'mile. In tho.hundred ■ the Wellingtonian had a good chance, but - was spoiled through-being thrown out: of his courso by. another swimmer borrag f 'and.-f(jto?V\' : ;- ing him. It is generally admitted: that. Frey-. •'. ■ berg 'had .his best clianco in;the short, race', v .; .The , 220 yds. promiskl ' something , out'of tho lordinary, Frcyberg"setting out at-a.great pace,'and leading the-big Aucklander over nearly- half- the distance; -; After tho hun- ; dred mark ; had been passed it was apparent that thn effort to break Champion up was i libt:' going ;to": bo a success, ■ tho Auckhmder" ■forging'ahead from .that point :and winning '; with' ease;:', 1 V' '' ■■■' ;i. The: gathering,' undoubtedly,, brought'" ' pqifj tho truo. sporting- spirit; T'lio conditions wero; \ anything - but satisfactory,: and there ' -was] ~ for! ;;cbm'plalnt;. but, .Itakon' all. .round, tho- competitors put ulf with tho conditions and did their, best',to. mako tho berc : of - matters .as they; fou nd tlienM One, or two,v -certainly complained,. but this was not sur- , prising. Summing .the .competitors lipy it " , '. ■eair only bo-:said'that they,are mostly real•' spprtsmeh.'; Champion' is, a - quiet, unassitm- 7,; . I 'ing'"man,, and had. very little to' say on .the / |-swimming side or the' Freyberg ..• was .'probably'-disappointed ;at bsjng.beaten,' -. •but he liUo a man, and.waa''... the -first- to con'grr.tulatiT.tho victor., He' swam,.'. V a plucky race"every , admitted freely' , ■ that he had;in#a:;stroiiger;swimmer.' The . i. Canterbury, contingent proved themselves ex-' ■ cellent sports,'especially Ricli,' Dodge,_ Bull, and Truscott. ,; Bridges,/of;;Wanganui, and McCarthy, of.'Napier.,.-', alsb; showed :themselvcß . to; be .true- blue. A number -of Aucklanders' >. icamo down with their jjutn; and showed their/ confidence in s him;fi'om the start.;. .Tho Nor-;'.' thenors. were anxious;.''.to,'get. Freyberg-.. tOi visit Auckland.;for ;the',Waitemata Club's . carnival, .whichwill probably bo-held toKlay; but. thoi, "Wellington, boy, although ho - would ; have liked to havo' mado fcho;trip, was unable to mako tho ; necessary arrangements... .Tho Aucklanders succeedcd •in getting several - • to make the visit,. including Dodge,, . - of Canterbury, and.M'Carthy, of. Napier. . . Tho miio was tho'; most .'.exciting. face ott'.--tho. last'.'day. -;Tho result for first'place - wag never in doubt:after 'the:.start,' but it was' anticipated; that Rich, of Christclmrch, who .. had been'holdirig bff'all day for.this distanco, would giye-tlie' Auckland crackJa.'run. . How- , ~ - 'ever,; Champion was,scon out by himself, but V it"looked as'though'thore\'.was s gbihg/to boIceen'/competition,,for second.i.pl.ace between, Freyberg ! and Rich. These, two; hung togetKer) for- thoigreater: partt'.gf ,-the,. journey, ■ Frbyberg the lead the .whole .tinfe',.,.l)ut Rich gainin'g;;on him''every : i/. . ,now ; aritl;.again,'.generaUy result of. crookM -swimming; on 'thex'part' of the Wei-.',, .lingfonian:? -Towards the end of the raco ' Freyberg, <Jrew...away from the Southerner,- • 1 , and eventually, 'won comfortably, ; putting in a great .finish, 'whichTapppealed-to the spectators. .Rich was suffering:frpm: an-;injuredi. .. ~; too.. 'The dash'at 'thd.endiwas rather, unforr-'. ; tunat«:for-the'.!, Wellington', boy, .as raattrfra turned out. It 'had been found tli'.t.t tho - courso was short, and on ' completing the, marked mile, the swimmers, who were all uiider'the standard, wero told by_ the officials on tho po'ntbon to, go Froy* biirg, about ran to a-standstill bv ;' - x liis* final effort, tackled tho final .35, and , . , completed .tho .course in an exhausted condi-., -. ■; tion. ■ Immediately'' on reaching 1 tho mark,litj '. dropped liis hands and throw his_ head back.< 'Before the'nearest boat could reach him,; lis , :had taken; a good deal of water aboard,, and . - was eventually lifted tho rowed ■ - ashore in: anVUnconscious -First;, , aid was given in a boat ;.shed, aM'the boy.v came round and was 1 soon none tho n orso for tho incident; : Before' going into' the. water ~' for tho miio he had complained of feohug.un- ■ . : well,'but ho .tacklcd his ;,task with a will and put Aup ■ a "lino performance, Avlnch stamped - him' a- sa boy , of grit , and; won the .. admiration of all'who" saw tho race. _ ' « i The oxpected;great thmgs or tho.i jpuiig ;19-year-old : Waitemata boy,. Ker- ; . iiott/who cpiiipeted at the Napior champion-.-ships. : iKernott was hot reckoned on m.the - ; shorter distances, .but.in the SSOyds. and miio . . tho Northerners-; anticipated that- he > would- ; i ,/ come second-to' Champion.; .In this ■ , . tion tho; Auckland. supporters were; disap."..,, ■ pointwl. ' '\ * • « . \ • • Thero' woro.'a nuiuber of outsido visitors to.Napier for the'. championship icarniyal, ,in-;\.';' ; eluding Messrs.. Shields,. M'llioy ,and Ash-, ford of'. Wellington,-" Walter.' Johnston, of . ■ Cbristehurclv -J. Mulv.ahill, - secretary of tho '' Waitemata : Clubj '.; and a number of other ... Aucklanders. . , .- ' In.spito of the times put.up m. the New ; .Zealand championships,' it : is'not anticipated: v; ' that any of ther.i will go on tho books as rev ~. cords, as 'the raccs wero, not.' swum_ in dead water..This dpeslnot^.seem:'quite.fair,to the..;-,, competitprs.■They .put\in-;a' great-.amount -, work, and had the. raccs been swum m a still- , - wate-r- bath, ,'thero .is the times - . would; have boen- abovo tho . average. It ap-Y. .' pears to me'that/tho rccord and standard v . breakers. should' receive some recognition for their efforts. '-. •'. - ~ . 1 . ' Freyberg put-ingreat amount,of training; , in .anticipation of the Now. Zealand champion-^-, -ships. ' Evor. since Christmas ,ho-has: .iill- ;: J'strict training, the; programmo being ' ,; ! thiiig- as-follows:—A> couple of lOOyds.i ; , sprints in" the early morning, another short swim' at mid-day;' and usually; a dash,-and :a; milp in tho'cvonhig,- followed> by a walk or anything;'.up-- to .-.ls>;milcs, • When a young ; swimmer takes his ■ trnining as ..seriously: as.,; ' this - he is certainly deserving of success' m his undertakings in-tho; water. , , ;,, , It "is probably not generally known tint ■ Mr. Walter Christchurch en-., ; x thusiast, is tho holder of a Royal Humane.. Society'.'.'medal' .'gaitfed'••ihr Napier some/-14 , ' years ago for saving the life of a boy during a 4 storm. When lie got his charge ashore-Mr. ; Johnston was completely" exhausted. . ■ . . Thus tho Perth "Sunday Times" of March .1, referring . to: the. two days' carnival at Kalv, goorlio," at which Cecils Healy, ■ Bcaurepairo,, . Dicknran, Garland hnd Co. after the championships. wero\dono vrith "Tho'breastj,' '■ stroke-' handicap, : 220yd5.',,. which was':-con- v., i;C tested on Wednesday.night,'brought put three , starters, Matson being scratch,, Richardson .... 3sec.. 1 About; lOOy'ds.; ..Richardson-, stopped,- . - and Jlatson lir.d an easy .win' in the run lioiao.. ;' from Carss. .Matson received great, applausb-, wheui it. was'-announced that lie. had"loworod . tho.worid!s record to' 3min.lo 3-oscc.' 1

Harold Hardv/ick,-. 100 yds. : champion ; of ■. Now: .South \Vales/;was,' responsible for a ;very:, fiho'specd pbipfbrmsiico-a-fcw days ago, when,-. : in Sydney Club's; lOOycte. "handicap, he'.threw';,;, the trip' behind in odscc. ;'■ two watcllps shoWcd;: 59; whilethihl .had 4t. 53 \This is new Sydney Club record. .. . ;'V ." . : • Dick Cavill has informed the Sydney "Ro- , feroo" that ho had been iinablo to ratso tho money necessary to covor.tho side-wager Read's backer insists upon, mainly because./ most of his moneyed-friends thought , the cold season would' bo along".beforo tho contest , could tako placo. Thoro is, therefore, no likelihood of tho matchmaking placo at pro- ; sent. ■ ■ . ■