AT THE BATHS

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXVI, Issue 79, 14 March 1936, Page 13

AT THE BATHS

FINAL SHIELD CONTEST Villagers Press Heretaunga WATKINS’S GREAT FURLONG (By "Isander.”) The 1935-36 contests for the Rainbow Shield and Baird Pennants was brought to a close on Wednesday when the last carnival was held under the Havelock North Club’s management, and although finally the Heretaunga Club annexed the trophy, the competition will always be remembered for the splendid fight put up by the Villagers who finished under 20 points behind the winners. Further congratulations are due to the officials of the latter club for the alive manner in which they controlled the carnival. A small band, only they are really enthusiastic when swimming is in the air and it is a great pity there were not a few more men in the village who would give a little time to assisting these few to carry on the sport. To Dick Watkins again fell the honour of registering the best of the evening, which his record-breaking 220 yds. certainly was. With conditions all against him he went immediately into a rhythmic stroke which fairly ate up the distance to take nearly 3 seconds from the existing record thus proving his Dunedin form all wrong. That he is now a better swimmer than ever is undoubted and had he not been in ill health at the National Championships "Isander" is sure that Newell (Canterbury) would now have two fewer titles. Incidently in the furlong event the writer has never seen such a finish as that for the minor places as Miller, Heffernan, Ashman and Vesty practically reached for the rope together with Vesty literally taking it from Heffernan’s hand. All four showed great form and each is a strong swimmer ideally suited for su rf work. Miss Edna Rainey, as expected, had a good thing on in the ladies 100, but Jliss Jlanley, in defeating M. Shaw for second place, showed quits her best form this season. Still young, this lady I expect to go a long way next season if she gets down to it. The Lower Divisions. Mahora again finished first and second in the intermediate girls’ section with Misses Thompson and Apsey, the latter of whom from comparative obscurity has leaped right up to the front rank to be the most improved lass in the district. Incidently this club did the "hat trick" with these two girls gaining eight points at each carnival. It was very pleasing to see Peggy Compbell well and truly extended by little Miss McCracken. Peggy has been in no closer, danger of defeat this season than in this event and that another good girl in this class has appeared is splendid. Wee Patty Hennah hung on well to gain third. * Swimming together for seven laps. Christie and Sullivan made a pretty race of the intermediate 220 and: until, the last turn, when Sullivan came away to win by a yard in 2 min. 51 secs it was impossible to pick the winner. "Isander” had a word of criticism for these two lads recently but it is of praise this time because their efforts and times were really meritorious. The other lads in this class will still be intermediates next season when their turn will undoubtedly come. The junior boys, both heats and finals, were the most even lot of the night and Mailey by sheer tenacity landed by a touch separated from his team mate de Castro by the Havelock chap Stewart who also was only there by a touch. A new swimmer Stewart, if he straightens up his arm stroke, now very wide, will give lots a headache next season, de Castro too, lacking perhaps a little in constitution at present, when he develops looks to “Isander" as a coming champion. Mailey’s physique, rather than a good stroke got him home but in al) the young lads this season the writer has noticed that when the pressure is on in the last bit they bustle their strokes shortening them down to a dog paddle with the re-

sult that they go slower rather than faster.. This no doubt will be remedied as they grow older and more experienced. The Teams Events. Bight through the series Havelock has had a mortgage on the teams’ pennant, again supplying places one and two. Heretaunga were well out of it as they have been right through, but "Isander" still adheres to the opinion that one length per man is not swimming. Heretaunga has scored heavily throughout in the diving section in the senior of which they fill all places, albiet that the standard this time was not good. The board troubled the divers not a little and with each registering a couple of bad dives it appeared anyone’s win. Wright must have landed first on his last dive, 14 somersaults forward which was a beauty. Russell, after a splendid opening lost points on the top board to finish out of a place. Eves won easily, after a fine showing, in the junior and was the only one up to standard. And Now the Hooters. If, in registering their disapproval of the senior diving points all going to Heretaunga, the unruly party who hooted the decision thought they were affecting that club they are disappointed, Heretaunga, as does any champion team, collects its share of bricks as well as bouquets, but whereas the latter please them as anyone, the bricks just bounce off. The harm the hooters did was to the Havelock club on whose side they were apparently trying to prove they were, and to those who do not know that these heroes had no connection with the Havelock club, a wrong construction is apt to be put on that club’s sportsmanship. The Havelock club can accept the fact that they are not associated with the incident in anyone’s mind and that they have the admiration of all clubs of their gallant and sportsmanlike efforts in swimming activities. Similarly the hooting fraternity may rest assured that they have created the most supreme contempt of themselves in all sportsmen’s minds. Bermuda's Swimming Champion. Bermuda is sending a swimming team to the Olympic Games in Berlin next August, and it anticipates at least one victory, inasmuch as the team will include Leonard Spence, claimed to be the greatest breaststroke swimmer in the world. This is the first time that Bermuda has competed in the Olympic Games in any sport. Spence, who was born in British Guiana, and is, therefore, a British subject, has lived for a considerable time in America, but he has expressed a wish to swim for Bermuda. He has already broken every breaststroke record, and his inclusion in the Bermuda team should assure the island of one or two first places. A Bermuda Olympic Committee is now being formed, which will organise special events throughout the island to raise funds to send the team to Berlin.