SWIMMING ITEMS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21347, 23 November 1932, Page 18

SWIMMING ITEMS

NEW CLUB'S FIRST CARNIVAL

PROSPECTS IN CHAMPIONSHIPS

BRIDSON'S LACK OF TRAINING

The Birkenhead and Northcote Amateur Swimming Club has announced the programme for its carnival by which the competitive season will bo opened next Saturday. Members of the club are offered strong inducement to compete, as all but three of the events arc for them. One of the exceptions is an inter-club handicap, and this, it is hoped, will bring to the new club the support of city swimmers. Exhibitions will be given by champion swimmers and scientific principles of swimming and the evolution of swimming strokes will be demonstrated by the well-known professional, Mr. D. B. Anderson.

Following are the races that will be decided :--66 2-3 yds. inter-club handicap. •33 l-3yds. junior boys' club handicap, 33 3-3 yds. junior girls' club handicap; 50yds. intermediate boys' club handicap, 50yds. intermediate girls' club handicap, 50yds. mens' club handicap, 50yds. ladies' club handicap, 50yds. breastslroke club handicap. Auckland's leading swimmers are now training steadily, the city's pools daily presenting animated scenes, while aspirants for honours at the centre championship meeting in about ton weeks do sprinting and slow work, and practice turns and dives. Clubs are also attending to their water polo. The weekly practices in tho Tepid Baths have been commenced and generally good musters of members of each club have been reported. Nights for water-polo practice havo been allotted to clubs, as follows:—Monday, Wnitenia ta ; Tuesday, North Shore; Wednesday, Grammar; Thursday, Ponsonby. The hcadwajg, the best swimmers have made in their training makes opportune a review of their prospects for the season. In comparison with his rivals, Q. Bridson, the national 100 yds. and 220 yds. titleholder, will be at a big disadvantage because he now spends two weeks in every three travelling for his firm in the Bay of Plenty district. He is able to have a swim at Paeroa, Whakatane and two or three other towns, but his training will be irregular and therefore much less beneficial than daily preparation in the local Tepid Baths. Concentration on Sprinting

In view of his restricted opportunity, Bridson may not swim as well as he did last season and, if this happens, he will certainly find more difficult retention of his sprint titles from younger and improving challengers like R. Frankham and R. Thomas. Both Frankham and Thomas are concentrating on sprinting and are already moving well. Others who intend confining their attention to the shorter distances are J. Enwright, R. Porteous and A. Raper. On last season's form, however, none of these three swimmers is likely to beat Bridson, Frankham or Thomas.

Raper may again be Auckland's only backstroke exponent. This stroke has received very little encouragement in this city, and consequently the standard here is much inferior to that in Canterbury, Otago and Wellington. The regular inclusion of a backstroke race in carnival programmes would not fail to lift the stroke to high popularity in Auckland. Good breast stroke swimming should be registered. Careful preparation is being made by the youthful Auckland champion, J. Magee, and his times should show further improvement. N. Kempt is certain to make his presence felt in competitions, as will also P. Shanahan, the intermediate champion, who has become a senior. This branch of the sport has sustained a big loss through the death in the winter of T. Lowe, a former title-holder and runnerup to Magee in last season's championship. Until they are improved the inadequate facilities for springboard diving will prevent Auckland from producing a diver skilful enough to win a New Zealand championship. Nevertheless, although local divers are heavily handicapped by the unsuitable springboards, they show a good deal of keenness, especially the members of the Ponsonby Club, E. Midgelev, the Auckland champion, H. Neale, runner-up, and W. Hassan, a former champion. In ability these divers are of almost equal standard, so that the contest for this season's title promises to be particularly interesting.

Miss Farquhar After Record Unless she fails to regain her form and unless her younger opponents considerably increase their speed, Miss M. Farquhar will not be hard pressed to win the 100 yds. women's free-style title again. It is said that Miss Farquhar, who last season covered the distance in only one second slower than Miss E. Stockley's record, will make a determined effort to lower the record in the course of the next five months. While they are hardly likely to beat Miss Farquhar this season at least, Misses P. Robertson, B. Lewin, N. Ludlow, M. Leydon and S. Grange will no doubt register fairly fast times. In all probability there will be close competition among the women freestylists over 220 yds. and 440 yds. Miss Farquliar's furlong and quarter-mile titles will be in jeopardy now that she has Miss P. Robertson, the Dominion quarter-mile champion, and Miss Ludlow, the New Zealand 220 yds. intermediate champion, as her chief rivals. Miss Ludlow will make the winning of these titles her main purpose. Unquestionably she has a bright chance of succeeding, because her best time for a furlong is only one-fifth of a second lower than Miss Farquhar's best. As for backstroke, Miss Farquhar should maintain her superiority, yet she will have a worthy and dangerous opponent in Miss Lewin. So keen will lie competition between Miss M. O'Meara, the New Zealand breast-stroke champion, and "Miss J. Webster. the "Dominion intermediate champion and record-holder, that several of Miss G. Pidgeon's national records seem certain to fall. Miss Webster's past performances mark her as the one more likely to emerge as champion for the season.

Talented Intermediates Auckland is fortunate in having a number of talentefl intermediates and juniors. It is safe to say that N. Crump, the Dominion intermediate champion and recordholder, will attract greater interest than any other swimmer. So splendid a young swimmer is he that he ranks among the best three swimmers in New Zealand. During the off-season he has grown considerably and by this alone his prospects of recording more brilliant feats than ever before have been enhanced. Crump is an intermediate of exceptional ability, so that W. Johnston and D. Shanahan, both speedy swimmers, may be counted unlucky to have him as an opponent. M iss E. Rainey, the Dominion junior girl title-holder, is now an intermediate. The graduation of the best girls of last season to the senior division leaves her an almost certain winner of the two intermediate girls' free-style titles.