Annette Kellerman Cup

Evening Star, Issue 19774, 26 January 1928, Page 3

Annette Kellerman Cup

Harbor Swimming Race

Win for Miss L. Copplestone

Fastest Time to R. J. Webster

For the second time in history a lady swimmer has won the Annette KeJlennnn Cup, which is competed lor annually during the progress of the New Zealand swimming championsnips. The successful competitor in this year’s race, which was swum on a three-mile straight course on Otago Harbor this morning, was Miss L. Copplestone, oi Canterbury, the only lady entrant ter the race, which drew eleven swimmers to face the starter (Mr W. Jenkins). The conditions for the race were favorable, and though there was rather a chop on the water, especially over the latter portion of the journey, the swimmers, generally speaking, encountered a fairly good passage, and had the win behind them.

From a handicap mark of 29.]mm, Miss Copplestone led all the way, and actually did better time than two ol the oilier competitors who finished. Site won bv about 600yds, her time being lh 38m in Bsec. Miss Copplestone, who is nineteen years of age, is well known in swimming circles, and was third in the New Zealand ladies’ d'ving championship in 192 b, also being a competitor this year. bast Saturday night she heat R. C. Colder, New Zealand men’s diving champion, in winning the open plain dive at the New Zealand championship carnival. Second place in the race went to J. Fnweight, who was on the limin mark, the Aucklander defeating the Wellington veteran, W. G. Morpeth CiSniin). Both these competitors have competed in every race since the institution of the contest which Enwright won in 1925, and in which lie has several times returned fastest time. On this occasion he was narrowly beaten for fastest time by a teliowAucklander, B. J. Webster, the f-.miHi man home, who, Ironi the scratch ma l n, swam the distance from just below Ohallis’s jetty to the wharf in lh 22nun losec, Enwnght s tune being Usee slower. The first Otago man home was C. J. MM-ean (2imih), who finished sixth, his actual time being lh 29mm 20.,cm Some 3,000 spectators lined the wharves to witness the finish, and when it was seen that a lady was the winner there was tremendous excitement and loud cheering. A party of launches conveyed the swimmers and officials to the starting point, three miles down the harbor, and later followed the race through. The following launches comprised the official party:—Mr A. Robinson’s Marewa, Mr J. T. Fanil’s Aotea, Mr A. W. Hazelwood’s Stella, Mr T. Davey’s Eureka, and Mr R. Cahill’s Nell. A word of praise is due to the Otago Harbor Board’s engineer (Mr J. M. Wilkie), who supervised the laying out of the course.

THE STARTERS. The starters were : R. J, Webster (Auckland), scr, J. Emvright (Auckland), l)min, C. J. MvLean (Otago), 2)min. T. Champion (Canterbury), 4min. J. C. Blakeley (Wellington), oßnin. L. J. Moorhouse (Canterbury), 8J min. C. R. Riordan (Canterbury), 12min. L. Pithie (Otago), lOmin. A. Hepburn (Wellington), 15Jmin. W. G. Morpeth (Wellington), 28min. Miss L. Copplestone (Canterbury), 29)rnin. THE RACE DESCRIBED. At 5 minutes to 11 Miss Copplestone, who was on the limit mark, was despatched on tho long journey, starting off on the crawl which she appeared to maintain all the way. W. G. Morpeth, the Wellington veteran, also set off on tho crawl a minute and a-half later, the others leaving at intervals until the back-marker, R. J. Webster, who returned fastest time last year, started off 29imin behind the limit swimmers. Most of the competitors favored a shoreward course, and, with the exception of Hepburn, who started off on the breast stroke but quickly changed to the crawl, all the swimmers favored either the craw! or trudgeon crawl strokes. Most of tho swimmers, too, took a shoreward course, and, though Riordan, who swam fairly well out, be-| gan smoothly, at the mile mark he withdrew.

At the halfway flag Miss Copplestone was swimming strongly,’having a lead of 200yds over Morpeth, who was going fairly well on the crawl, though he was being taken a bad course. Morpeth was 400yds ahead of Hepburn at this stage, the latter swimming breast stroke, with Pithie about 50yds back fourth. Of the back-markers Emvright was swimming splendidly with a good, easy stroke, followed at close intervals by Champion, Blakeley, M’Lean, and Webster, the last-named in particular shaping well. Moorhonse withdrew at this stage, and the race began to resolve itself into a procession. Miss Copplestone was swimming a good course, and when she had about 1,200 yards to go she had increased her load over Morpeth to 440yds. Then there was a gap of about 600yds between Morpeth and Pithie. who was still doing the crawl. Emvright was pulling up gradually, being about

100yds behind Pithie, Champion and Webster being fairly close together, a similar distance back. Nearing the steamers’ basin, Miss Copplestone was nearly 600yds to the good, and, finishing with a spurt, tho Canterbury lady won by 600yds, and finished apparently comparatively nndistressed. Emvright finished strongly well clear by about 100yds from Morpeth, Webster being close up fourth. Then came Champion, M‘Lenn, Blakeley, and Pithie at fairly regular intervals. Hepburn withdrew round about the two-mile mark. The detailed results were as follows, handicaps and actual times being given respectively:— Miss L. Copplestone (Canterbury), 29.|min,_ lh 38min Bseo "... 1 J. Emvright (Auckland), Ij-niin, lh 22min 2Sscc 2 W. G. Morpeth (Wellington), 28min, Hi 50min Bsec 3 R. J. Webster (Auckland), scr, Hi 22min losec 4 T. Champion (Canterbury), 4min, lh 21min 6sec o C. J. M‘Lean (Otago), 2Hnin, Hi 29min 20,sec ... ’ ,* 6 J. C. Blakeley (Wcllingtonu), 5-Jmin, lh 23min 29sec ... 7 L. Pithie (Otago), lh, 4Smin 4sec 3 Previous winners of tho Annette Kellerman Cup are as follows: 1922. —Miss Nnthall (Hawke’s Bay), at Wellington. 1923. —C. Wclson (Auckland), at Tim--1924. —H. B. Harper (Auckland), at Wanganui. 1925. —J. Emvright (Auckland), at Christchurch. 1926. —A. T. Bolam (Canterbury), at Napier. 1927. —T. Champion (Canterbury), at Auckland.