ANGLO-COLONIAL SPORT.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1751, 27 September 1905, Page 47

ANGLO-COLONIAL SPORT.

(From Our Special Correspondent.) KEBAN BREAKS A RECORD. LONDON, Aug. 11. punoj,, SBt[ uu.iexj; himself,” and within the space of four days has given us a couple of performances which stamp him as the best swimmer we have ever seen at a quarter or half-mile—better even than Joey Nuttall in his best days. Keran’s performance at Southport in the 440 Yards Salt Water Championship on Saturday, when he heat Billington by a good five-and-twenty yards in 5 min. 22 l-ssec., was an eye opener, for in the Marine Lake he had no assistance from any tide or current, the course was 110 yards long and the lake was “still water” save for the fact that its surface was considerably ruffled by a strong westerly breeze. In spite of this drawback Keran gob to within 3 l-ssec. of his best Australian time at the distance, and had he been pushed in the last lap there is hardly any doubt that he would have equalled if not surpassed his famous 5-19. The British Amateur Swimming Association takes no heed of times for the Salt Water Championship, which is usually decided—and very properly so—in the open sea, and under all sorts of tidal conditions. In this case, however, there, was nothing to favour the swimmer save the extra buoyancy of the salt water, and against that may fairly be set the effects of the wind on. the lake's surface. That the swimmers were not favoured by the breeze may be gauged from Keran’s lap times. He started out to break Billington up and did the first 110 yards in the mai'vellous time of 70 seconds. Then having a clear half-dozen yards lead, of the dangerous Bacup expert-, he settled down to a steadier gait, occupying 85 seconds for the second lap, 83 for the third, and 84 l-ssec. for the home stretch. At 220 yards (2-35) Keran was leading Billington by eight or nine yards, and drawing away he covered 330 yards in 3-55.. a good fifteen ahead of his rival, WDa, finding pursuit hopeless, eased up in the final length and was beaten 26 4-5 sec. The Bacup swimmer’s best time for 440 is smin. 32 l-ssec. which is also the British Amateur record. He would have been closer to Keran had he kept a reasonably straight course. Taylor of Cliadderton, and Heywood of Oldham, were in the race, or perhaps I should say, “out of it”! The former, however, finished within a dozen yards of Billington, but Heywood might as well have kept liis clothes on. Keran’s performance in the first lap made one regret more than ever that he did not see fit to oppose Derbyshire in the 100 Yards Championship, for it is very evident that the minute is well within the Australian’s compass if he makes up his mind to take up sprinting. Biliingto-n, by the way, first won the Salt Water Championship in 1901, but was defeated by “Splash” Cavill iu the following year. Then, however, he regained it in 1903 and won it again last year, only to lose it once more to an Australian. : From Southport Keran journeyed, to Leicester to encounter Biilington and Taylor again, this time in the Half Mile Championship decided on Tuesday in the Abbey Park Lake-

To all intents and purposes the race was a match between the Australian and his Five and One Mile conqueror, for Taylor could never go the paceAs at Southport Keran set out to make his . lead early in the race, and the pace he put on for the first lap really suggested that he was likely to crack himself up in his efforts to get away from Billington. He spun over the first furlong in 2min. 43sec. (a time that al very few years ago would have been' reckoned very smart indeed, for the 220 Championship). Billington kept with him sufficiently, well to he only; five yards behind at this point. Erratid steering by both men lost them some distance in the first stage of the race, but in the next. Keran kept straight as a die, and adding to his lead little by little covered the quarter in smin. 35 2-ssec., ten yards clear of Billington. He continued to swim, faster and. straighter than the Bacup lad, and at 660 yards had an advantage of 14 seconds. In the final furlong the pursuer made a desperate effort to get on terms with Keran, but the Australian, swimming very strongly to the finish, kept him at bay and finished in llmin. 28sec., just 14 2-ssec. ahead of Billington, whose time was 11mm. 42 2-ssec. '' Though Keran failed by over 1 41 seconds to equal his Australian record of llmin. 11’ 3-ssec., he beat NuttalTs professional record of llmin. 46sec. byj no less than 18 seconds, and the English,’ Amateur Record of llmin. 50 2-ssec, set up by R. Cavill in 1902, by 22 2-5 sec. According to our A.S.A. Keran’s performance will rank as a “World’s Record,” as we do not take into account times done in salt water or “ret cords” made at such a distance in still fresh -water over a course less than 110 yards long. Kei’an is now in Sweden with the Life Saving Society’s party, and will .no doubt return to England with quite a cupboard full of prizes. George Read, the ex-Australian amateur champion, was among the opponents of “Joey” Nuttall in the Grand Challenge Race for professionals, decided over 1000 yards in the sea at Devonport last Wednesday, as also was S. Greasley, who in years gone by was at the top of our amateur tree in middle distance races. Neither Nuttall, Read, nor Greasley are improving with age, but of the trio Nuttall (who won his first championship some IS years back) keeps up his form best. He is indeed marvellously fast still, and on Wednesday had no difficulty in defeating Read by five and twenty yards in 15min. 25sec. The Australian took 15-45 and finished over half a minute ahead of Greasley. On his best Australian form Read was a better man than Nuthall at 1000 yards. “Joey,’* in a time trial at Osborne Street Baths, Manchester, covered the distance in Nov. 1901 in 13min. 565e0., whereas Read in December of the same year 1 , at Farmers’ Domain Baths, did 13m in. 33 3-osec.

TENNIS. Norman Brookes took Jbiis revenge for the defeat he sustained at the hands of the Gloucestershire crack S. IT. Smith, in the Midland Championship at Birmingham recently hy knocking out that player in the fourth round of the All Comers Singles at the Northumberland Tournament last Friday. As I have remarked already there is not a great deal to choose between Smith and Brookes, and with both playing up to their best form a match between them is as likely to go one way as the other. Brookes is the more versatile player and much more fascinating to watch, hut he lacks Smith’s steadiness and pertinacity. On Friday both men . were in grand fettle and a splendid game resulted. In the first set they, were level pegs at “6 all,” but brilliant net play and bis unplayable screw service secured the Australian the set at 8-6. In the second, Brookes was all brilliance and no surety, and Smith’s long corner drives completely put him to rout, the set falling to the Gloucester crack at 6-1. In the “rubber” Brookes “came again” and though' Smith played a really fine game the Australian succeeded in winning the set at 6-4, and the match hy two sets to one. The games, however, were against him, Smith claiming 16 to the Australian’s 15. Dunlop had meanwhile survived the fourth round and W. V. Eaves retiring, after winning two sets out of three in the semi-final against the Australian, thus left Dunlop and Brookes to contest the final. To the surprise of everybody Dunlop won the first two sets at 6-3 each, hut then Brookes seemed to find his form. He simply waltzed round Dunlop in the third set, and the scores were called 4-0 in- his favour. Then Brookes seemed to lose his head, and, playing in a surprisingly erratic fashion, was eventually beaten at 7-5, thus losing the match by three sets to love and 19 games to 11. The Australians were also seen in the Gentlemen’s Doubles and the Mixed Doubles. In the former event Brookes had for his partner W. V. Eaves, and with the latter playing a really fine game the pair romped through to the semi-final. Dunlop well served with S. H. Smith as partner 5 reached' that point also and then fell across Brookes and Eaves, who heat thoik; by two sets to love—6-4, 6-1. In the final the victors ’ had to face EL Lj. Dohertv and G. W. Hillvard.

and the quartette put up a long quel interesting match. Brookes and Hillyard won the first set at 6-2, lost the next at 6-4, and won the third at 6-2. Doherty and his partner, however, made the scores “2 all” by taking the fourth at 6-4. Then “H. L.” went to pieces, and his partner being very tired the Australian and Eaves had no difficulty in winning the set at 6-1, thus winning the Open Doubles Championship of Northumberland by three sets to two and 26 games to 17. In the Mixed Double® Brookes found an admirable partner in Mrs Hillyard. The pair combined admirably, and won their way to the final round before meeting with defeat at the hands of H. L. Doherty and Bliss Wilson. The champion and his fair partner were altogether too strong for the Australian and Mrs Hillyard , who were easily beaten two sets to love—6-3, 6-1. 'Dunlop’s victory in the Singles, by the way, entitles him to rank as Open Champion of Northumberland. A. F. Wilding was playing in the Shanklin (Isle of Wight) Tournament Last week, and did not come empty away. He was again beaten by his old opponent A. W. Goto in the final of the Gentlemen’s Singles by three sets to one after a very close game, but in the final of the Doubles he and his fellowcollegian Powell beat Gere and Oaridia by two sets to one, the score® being 0-6, 6-3, 7-5, in their favour.