POINTS FOR SHIELD

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23274, 17 February 1939, Page 14

POINTS FOR SHIELD

TWO PROVINCES EQUAL CANTERBURY AND AUCKLAND FINE EFFORT BY MATHIESON [BY TELEGRAPH —SPECIAL REPORTER] INVERCARGILL. Thursday Three wins by Aucklanders at the New Zealand senior swimming championship meeting which was continued to-night placed Auckland in the lead for the Yaldhurst Sheild with Canterbury, each province having 24 points. The successful Aucklanders were P. Hanan, 220 yds. men's free-style, - Miss K. Grey, 440 yds. ladies' free-style, and P. E. Mathieson, 100 yds.-men's backstroke. Southland has 20 points, Otago 17, Wellington 8, Taranaki f>, and Wanganui 1. The first Auckland victory scored at the meeting was by P. Hanan in the 220 yds. men's free-style contest. He thus retained the title. The other Aucklander, A. Pascoe, was third, 11. Hatchwell (Wellington) being second. Pascoe and Crump (Auckland) and Hatchwell were all together at the end of the first lap, 33 1-3 yards. Crump took the leaid in the second lap, but did not remain there for long, and at •the 100 yards Hatchwell was in front f in 61s, leading Hanan bv one yard. Hanan was closely followed by Pascoe. In the fourth lap Hanan began to assert his superiority and he had a yard to spa.re from Hatchwell at the turn. Continuing to leave his opponents further behind Hanan placed himself secure from defeat, and meanwhile Pascde overtook Hatchwell. Hanan won by five yards. A keen struggle between Hatchwell and PasI coe ended in the former gaining second place by a touch. Crump was well back in fourth position. Splendid Time Hanan's time, 2m 24 4-os, represented a fine performance, probably the best he has done for the distance. Having been registered in slow fresh water his time was fully of equal merit to his own national record of 2m 20 4-os made recently in salt water at Auckland. By his victory Hanan equalised the score with Hatchwell, who won the 100 yards title on Tuesday night. Steadily increasing her lead by means of her beautifully smooth stroke, the diminutive Auckland girl, Miss Kathleen Grey, was never in danger of losing the quarter-mile ladies' free-style. She thus succeeded to the position vacated by Miss Mona Leydon (Auckland). Miss Grey finished with an advantage of 13 yards from the Southland representative, Miss M.'McGrath. The Aucklander's time, 6m 4 was a fair effort for fresh water, but not comparable with Miss Leydon's record of 5m 36 3-ss. However, it was only the second quarter-mile Miss Grey has' contested so that if she continues to give the distance her attention she should eventually be much more proficient. Credit to Winner _ Every credit is due to Mathieson for his win in the 100 yds. men's backstroke title, as for most of the distance defeat faced him, partly because Cliff was leading him and partly because_ he was constantly catching his arm in the lane ropes through making an irregular course. Cliff led at the first lap and at the second, turn was a yard in the lead. Mathieson's stamina now came forcibly in evidence and amid tremendous excitement he rapidly gained on Cliff. Twelve yards from the finish Mathieson, again fouling the line, veered into the centre of his lane, and with this action forged to the front and gained victory by two feet. His time, 66 4-os, was only three-fifths of a second slower than the record he established at the Auckland Tepid Baths recently. By also outpacing Cliff in the 400 metres on Tuesday, in which he was disqualified, Mathieson has proved himself beyond question the superior backstroke exponent in both speed and style. ,