SWIMMING AUCKLAND WINS SHIELD AT THE N.Z. CHAMPIONSHIPS

Grey River Argus, 28 February 1949, Page 6

SWIMMING AUCKLAND WINS SHIELD AT THE N.Z. CHAMPIONSHIPS

Success bf Miss Casey and Lucas v PA. AUCKLAND, February 27. Auckland won the Yaldhurst Shield for the province scoring most victories in the New Zealand seniot swimming championships, when the events were brought to a conclusion last night. Special features of the fourth dav were the successes scored by R. Lucas, the 17-year-old Aucklander, who won the 440 yards championship: Miss B. Casey’s feat in winning all of the women’s freestyle events; the. setting up of a record in the 220 yards butterfly by D. Dowse (Wellington); and the defeat of Otago in water polo for the first time since Auckland scored points in the Yaldhurst Shield, to Wellington’s five. Canterbury and Otago each scored three, Taranaki two, and South Canterbury and Waikato one each. Lucas outdistanced all competitors in the 440 yards, and won very easily. A decisive victory was also gained by Miss B. Casey, who had previously won the 100 and 440 yards women’s freestyle titles. In the 220 yards event, Miss N. Bridson, of Auckland, who had just lost to Miss Casey in the 100 yards, was level with the champion with 55 yards to go, but Miss Casey there swam away from the field with a fine exhibition of sustained sprinting. Later Miss Casey won the 50 yards invitation scratch race, to make a clean sweep of all of the women’s freestyle events, but in this she had only a narrow margin victory over Mis J. Hastings (Auckland).

P. E. Mathieson (Auckland) who made his first appearance in championship company as a junior in 1928 at the age of 13, confirmed his standing as the best backstroke swimmer in New Zealand by easily winning the title in 67sec. Mathieson took the lead from the start over D. Branch (Auckland) and won by about five yard£. Auckland’s water- polo victory by three goals to two was gained largely because the team had a slight superiority in pace, and did less wild throwing. The game was willing, and one -Otago playei - was ordered out of the water for a short time, but play was strenuous, rather than rough. The most exciting event of the night, and perhaps of the( entire carnival, was the inter-island women’s relay, in which the South Island lost after establishing a big lead, with two backktroke exponents, Misses N. Lane and J. Stewart.

When Miss B. Casey dived for the final leg, she was nearly 30 yards behind Miss H. Smith, the Canterbury breaststroke swimmer, who was the only one available to make up the South Island team. As the champion overhauled, and then passed Miss Smith, the excitement was tremendous. Results: — Women’s 220 Yards Freestyle Miss B. Casey (Wellington) 1 Miss M. Holman (Waikato) 2 Miss N. Bridson (Auckland) .... 3 Time: 2min 45 l-ssec. Men’s 440 Yards Freestyle R. Lucas (Auckland) 1 R. Jolly (Waikato) 2 C. Baird (Auckland) 3 Time: smin 20sec. Men’s 100 Yards Backstroke P. E. Mathieson (Auckland) 1 D. Branch (Auckland) 2 W. Pasley (Southland) 3 Time: 67sec. Women’s 100 Yards Butterfly Miss N. Bridson (Auckland) .... 1 Time: Imin 27 4-ssec. The only starter. Men’s 220 Yards Butterfly D. Dowse (Wellington) 1 C. Callan (Auckland) 2 T. Logan (Taranaki) 3 Time: 3min 7 l-ssec. Men’s 50 Yards Freestyle Invitation Scratch Race C. Williams (Auckland) 1 P. Borrington (Auckland) 2 F. Kotua (Auckland) 3 Time: 26 2-ssec. Women’s 50 Yards Freestyle Invitation Scratch Race Miss B. Casey (Wellington) .... 1 Miss J. Hastings (Auckland) .... 2 Miss N. Lane (Otago) 3 Time: 29 4-ssec. —ssaiaß Otago Centre Relay Shield (4 x 55 yards) Auckland 1, Waikato 2, Otago 3. Time: 2min 16sec. Stalag Shield, Inter-Island Women’s Relay North Island (Misses D. Ponder, Leatham, M. Sweeney, M. Teague, N. Bridson and B. Casey 1 South Island (Misses J. Stewart, N. Lane, P. Trevella, H. Forsyth, G. Allen, and H. Smith) 2 Stalag Shield, Inter-Island Men’s Relay North Island (P. E. Mathison, D. Branch, C. Callan, T. Logan, R. Lucas, and R. Jolly) 1 South Island (W. Pasley, B. Kirkby, J. Shaw, W. H. Dyson, M. Ballantyne, and I. Wilson) 2 Time; 7min 44 l-ssec.