SWIMMING.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 669, 20 November 1909, Page 12

SWIMMING.

(By Splash.)

The formal opening of tho season, which took placo at the To Ato Baths last Satuiday aiternooit, was remarkable moro for 1 the enthusiasm displayed bj workers, on behalf oi tho sport than for the assistance given by achvo swimmeis Messrs Morpeth, Sadd, and Somerville'vicro absentees, the nri,t-named having just undergone an oporation necessitated by a. varicose \em, and Mr. Sonjorvillo being kept away on account of an operation which his •tifo had , to undergo. Tho list of entries for the Uo den's races included no now names, but this may bo accounted for by the fact that swimmers as a wholo have not yet got into racing iorm. Twenty-two entries were received for tho 50ydsi handicap, but a number of these dropped out when it camo to facing the starter. Tho first heat fell to P. A. Wilton, who had an advantage of about bit over J. A. M'Lcan, tho 'third man, who was 'about sft. ahead of H. K. Johnston. The finish of tho second heat was exciting, C. Ward just winning by o touch from II S Forne, who only defeated the thud man, W. V. Dudson, by inches. Tho nnal resulted m a capital race, tho wholo of tho competitors being in at tho death. J. A. I M'Lean, E. S, Forno, and C. Ward, were [ placed in the order named, but the trio touched the finishing board at almost the Bame moment, tho judges having some difficulty .n sorting out tho winner. M'Lean appears to have been spending a good deal of time in tho water, and swam strongly. Ho should bo heard of again. Forne, who was dogged by bad luck last season, should do better this season, Ho has not dono any training so far, but by tho way he shaped on Saturday ho should not require much work to put him at his best. Tho 100 yds. handicap went to the young Thorndoii snimmer, CJ. S. Bnce, v, ho swam an excellent race, and thoroughly desened his win. Druco, who had 13sec, appeared to havo a good chance on paper, but no finished out of a placo Tho two limit men 1 , Douno (19sec) and W. Wilton (21i.ee.) filled second and third 'positions respectively, and Healy, although lorced to work his way through a bunched field at 75ydb, got fourth placo. Healy has gathered a lot of weight during the winter, and weighed close oh 13st. before lio commenced training again. His time on Saturday, t>3 2-sscc, pro\es him to bo in good iettle already. Ashford swam a fine race o\er tho hrst 75yds, but iaded away in tho last 23)ds, through lack of training. A. M'Lean won tho Boys' 50yds, beating the snatch man, J. Itobinson, by about four feet D. K. Pcott was third, about a foot behind Eobinson.

Tho Wellington Club lost no time in getting to work with an evening raco aflcr tho foimal opening of tho sea-son. There were 15 competitor in tho 50yds handicap, decided at Te Aro Baths on Wednesday evening. The winner turned up in H, IXenson who was in receipt of Gsec from W. Dudson, Cyril Ward, and I). O'Neill. Kvonson had not been training this season, and his victory in a sprint race came as a general surprise D. Levy, who finished second to Evenson in tho final, boat the same swimmer in their heat. J. Aston, uppnrontlj Minded by tho spray raised by his crawl stiole, swam all oicr tho courso ill his heat and block J. Stratford eo effectively that officials allowed Stratford to start in the final inwhich Jie came third. Cjnl Ward, who was in receipt of Uec. from both W. Dudson and B. O'Noill in tho 50yds. handicap at the Centre's ppciung races, beat both Dudson and O'Noill in tho Wellington Club's 50jds handicap, swimming oil tho same nmk. A. Randall, recently a membor of tho European Club, Svdney, was not placed in his first caay in local ranks. Randall uses tho smglo over-arm stroke, and will probably bo heard of in tho distanco events. The onorgotio treasurer of tho Wellington Club, W S Morpeth, who underwent an operation rcceiitlj, is making \el-y satisfactory progress towards recovery. Tim sooner he is fit and well again tho better for his olub ana for the sport generally. Tho next o\ont on tho Wellington Club's programuio is a lOjels juninr handicap which is to ho decided on December 1. John Alick Wickham, tho young Rubiana Island native, shaved his own 50yds world lecoid (21 :w;<:ec) E0 closely tho other day as to touch the ond of tho eonrso in onlv l-swc. slower tmi«. What a remarkable dis-

play of sped swimming this was may bo gathered from the faot that the 24 S-Sscc. achievement has hold its position elnce March Zβ, 1901 Should Hardwiok and Wiekham improve at all while tho season is maturing, Bays the "Referee," it may not be unreason, able to antioipate tho knocking out of one op too present sprint records, and perhaps Hard, wick will prove equal to extending, und pos. Bibl/ beating Beaurepano over tho longer dietances. Frank Bcaurcpaire, tho Australasian chainpion, in a training swim a few days ago, covorcd tho auarter-milo in simn. 80 2-ssoc. In view of tho fact (hat Victoria holds tho Kicran Memorial Shield, and much depends on the success of Beauiepairo in the forthcoming Australian championships as to viether Victoria retains it, tho form already shown by Bcaurepairo is extremely gratify, ing to Victoriulis News is just to hand of an excellent ewim accomplished bj a South African, H, C. Hooper, who on Saturday, September i, swam from Ttobben Island to Capo Town Docks. i H Mas a particularly difficult land to land swim, inasmuch as the cross tide necessitates tho swimmoi travelling more than tho actual seven miles of water that separates the two , points. It is ostiranted that in- all Hooper covered nine miles, his time _ being 6 hours SGinin. Ho started from tho jetty at Robueo Ishnd and passed to tho south of White Rook and tho breakwater, α-id lauded at tho south arm at Cape Town Docks Hooper swain chiefh on tlie brenst, aud whilst in tho watei was fed with milk, brandj, bananas, appW and on one occasion with grilled steak an« bread, which is altogether too heavy a diev for a swimmer. Tho water was about 51 degrees, and prior to Hooper s success the swim was regarded as impossible, Following aro tho English records brought up to October last. Tour records have been broken, exactly as many as a >ear ago.— \ n ,' ENGLISH RECORDS. 100 Yards. m, t.

C. if. Daniels, September 7, 1907, Victoria Bath, Manchester 0 55 2-5 100 Yards (Ladies), tMiss J. Fletchor, September 7, 1909, Bradford 1M 150 Yards. O. 11. Daniels, July 8, 1908, High Street Baths, Manchester 1 32 2-5 150 Yards (Back). i fF. A. TJnwin, September 27, 1909, Sheffield 157 3VI 200 Yards (Breast). ' \ W. W. Robinson, November 11, 1908, * s Seacombe, Liverpool 2 41 2-5 200 Yards. 1 P. C. T. Lane, August 18, 1902, Wcston-super-Maro 2 28 3-5 300 Yards. tT. R. Battersby, September 23, 1909, Southport .... „ 3 312-5 440 Yards. T. S. Battorsby, October 26, 1908, Seacombo, Liverpool ,5 2G 2-5 500 Yards. B. B. Kiera'n, August 28, 1005, Leeds G 1 1-5 Half-mile. H. Taylor, July 21, 1906, ItUncorn 11 25 2-5 1000 Yards. D. Bilhngton, July 22, 1005, Liverpool 13 Si t5 One Mile. +T. S. Battersby, August 17, 1909, Southport 2i.'lM Plunging. tW. Taylor, September 6,1006, Bootlo 82ft. Tin. tMade in 1909, and subject to cohfirmahon by tho A.S.A. JMado under championship conditions (COsco. limit). Record without time limit, 62ft., in 73 3 ssec, by W. Taylor, at Bootle, September 0, 1899. There is no recognised record for tho longdistance championship (5 miles CO yards) owing to tho raco being decided in tidal water. < The best hmo ever accomplished is lhr. Sinin. Msec, by J. A. Jams, in 190 G. Old Record. m. e. *100 yards (ladies), Miss Tletchcr 117 150 yards (back), F. A. TJnwin 1 59 300 yards, R. Cavill 3 31 3-5 Mile, D. Bilhngton 24 42 3-5 i'i Now Record. m. 6. *100 yards (ladies), Miss Fletcher 1 U 150 jards (back)viF. lAinEnwin i..«i..i. I 57)3-5i 300 jards, T. S. Battersby 3 31 2-5 Mile, T. S. Battersby 21 1 2-5 *On July 12, at Birmingham, Miss Fletcher reduced the record to lmin. 15 β-esec., , and in the preliminary heat of tho championship on' September 7, to limn 14 3-ssec. In tho final heat Miss Fletcher again beat iho record, and put up the present timo. .

Ono of tlio historical survivals of tho city of York's treasured past was celebrated recently, TV hen the members of the Merchants' Company, which was founded on charter granted by Henry VI, and ft number of invited guests, attended tho annual semco in tho quaint httlo underground chapel, at the Merchants' Hall in Tossgato, whero service has been held for over GOO joars. Tho chatfel is now used onco a year for the annual sermon preached under tho \i ill of the eolobrated Sir Thomas Herbert, a merchant princo of York, a fiiend of Charles I, and alderman of the city and go\crnor of tho * company, who gave a sum cf money to provido 30s lor a sermon to ho nreact/cd 01 cry Michi" , !. mas Court, of which 20s. was to go to the "parson," and 10s. to the poor women in the hospital. Tho extraordinary coso in the Chancery Division, where a youtli of seventeen -was comi nutted to prison for contempt of Court in i that, being a ward of Chancery, ho dared to marry without tho consent of tho Chancellor, has had another interesting development. Ono of tho jouth's friends, who accompanied him bv request to tbo registry ofiko, has also found himself in Dmton Pribon for daring to bo an accomplice in tho youth's contempt. > '