Swimming Notes

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 7979, 9 December 1911, Page 17

Swimming Notes

BY “CRAWL

Tlijrt Civil Service can usually produce a number of Rued athlete* and in especially fruitful in swimmer* of more* than ordinary ability, so that the contests at To An Baths ou Saturday aiterlicon wuv Lome gcod performances registered. Donuyno carried off premier honour# by winning the 100yds event from scratch in tho very creditable time uf 67 3-ssoc, which i* not far outside his best for that distance. Houayno is one of tho many swimmers, who have come suddenly from the ranks of the long concession handicap men to a position among tho hack markers, but who have failed to fashion out into anything brilliant. Early in 1000. when ho first began to «how loss than 7UseC ( on the watches ho was boomed us a “comer, a prediction, which his subsequent win in tho 100yds championship of New Zealand at Timaru served to strengthen. His time on that occasion,— nearly three years distant now—was 06 4-asec, and » einco then, as his 67 IJ-ssec on Satuiday i last exemplifies. ho has remained almost * stationary. In 1009 ho was looked to to Ibrouk "Now Zealand records beloro he finished, but to-day, those boys whom ho loft far behind in his first forward leap, bavo, as tiio result of steady and continued progress, all but caught up to him again. In tho ern e of C. Unco, an unknown quantity in 1060 and a •harmless paddier trying is "crawl,” Donayno has f/oon caught and passed, and now *trug?loa far behind in tho wash of hu> faster club mate. .All this apart, however,, Donayno'e performance on Saturday was jood os a club performance, and as a vsim in a “house” contest voiged on ho brilliant. Wo have not yet *oen him hnergo in distance-work, and he appears pay very little attention to this dolartment. His stroke, however, would uggeet tho plodder rather than the printer, and it i* .surprising that 419yds voivts and oven longer stretched do not ;empt him.

F. Wilton, who threw handicapping •ml officialdom aside for the day. dollied V's to some purpose, and prencu hat ho is not yet altogether a one imer.” He was put on the I'iscc mark jy his brother handicapper Mr homoirille, and swam a good f-eroml, which <oea to provo that Iho Swifts haudicap>er ie still one of the good swimmerb •if his club. 11. M. .Mullins, who swam well last year, and who, by his performance in fairly long events proved himwlf capable of doing better things than 100yds, foil away in quite surprising fashion at the finish, amt ended without an ounco ot dash. left. Ho was tadly beaten on the. post, when third t laro seemed well within his keeping. 'Mullins, by the way, has .recently taken tip the handicapping business hunselt, ind may, perhaps, have decided that lor his season he will derive little advantage from training, since ho cannot very well compute in races which he himself handicaps and will therefore lie •an absentee from the board when M u - lington Club events come up tor decieicn. He was certainly far from fit on Saturday, and bis defeat was one ot the surprises of the day.

Coira's win in the 50yds handicap was ml overdue success. He was not particularly well treated by tho handicappers last season, though he was a fairly consistent swimmer. In tho diving competition his display was good, and ho is easily ono of Wellington’s best exponents ot natatorial aciotatica. H. H. Little, pvho touched first for Host and telegraph in the teams' race, was sot ton Big a task in tho short sprint, and figured among the also started, a division where he has beoii kept a great deal longer than his consistent starting and good swimming warrant. He is another on whom the handicappers did not smile last year, and in at least one event, he was the victim of a judges error, lie has oome up smiling again, however, and it should nob be long before Horne uses that neat little stroke of his to hotter advantage. Fraser’s wm in the diving competition was well deserved, tor his display was equal to any give' throughout the contest. He was excelled by different individuals in particular sections but tho consistent neatness ot his work i,n all departments entitled him to the judge’s verdict. Lovestam. with la twelve poiut handicap, was second, end his success was ono of the most popular of the day. It is not often that he is seen in tho competitive arena, but if memory serves, ho paddled himsoli to the post first in a 50yds back stroke event last year, and boat a lug field very badly. Usually, an official s ribbon is his portion of an afternoon b racing.

T. H. King, who won hia heat in the BOyds event m 33sco, ia one of tho many in Wellington at tho present timo who mo pinning their faith to tho crawly as a moans of winning short events. King has been a good average swimmer for some few years, but little was soon of him at To Aro Baths last year, for ho swam under the banner of tho Thorudon Club, and- confined his activities to Thomdon Baths. This year, it is stated, ho has thrown in his lot with his old club—Wellington. LeGron and, Sykes, second and third respectively in the "fifty” aro swimmers who should improve and of whom more should bo heard hereafter.

Though December ii already on us. very few swimmers have yet settled down to serious training, a result of the inclement weather which has attended tho season so far. "Bim” Smith, of Swifts, has been a regular attendant at the baths of late, and is usually accompanied in his jaimts by J. Robinson, also of Swifts and an ex-schoolboy chamJion. Both aro swimming well, but tobinson appears to hold his club mate without a great deal of trouble over 100 yds. In distance work, however. Smith Is tho better of tho two. Probably tho most promising Swifts swimmer in sight just now is 11. Capper, who swam well »n tho flying squadron race last year. •Ho is a good sprinter and is always capable of taking hie place on tho board with the distance men. With Freyberg away he should o Swifts chief man Ibis year. His club mate Paterson lias idono practically nothing so far. His form over distances last season was decidedly promising, and ho should prove b, thorn in tho side of many if ho takes training seriously this year. Wellington Club's chief distance, man, Murrell, Is one of the early birds in tho training field, and has been devoting a lot of timo to a very unpromising crawl stroke, which, however, is just a littlo bit better than that of his club captain, Mr Morpeth. # The Swifts Club will set tho hall rolling on Tuesday next (December 12thl when a fifty yards club handicap will be decided. At tho time of writing entries had already commenced to come In, nnd there is every likelihood of a big field. Tho Swifts Club has fixed on Tuesdav as the day of its mid-week races, and has notified other clubs to that effect. Last year some dissatisfaction was caused by two or more chibs conducting evening races on the samo day, and an endeavour will bo made to prevent a repetition of this during tho coming season. With that end ia view it has been requested <tbat each club choose a particular day for its races and stick lo it. . • • The Swifts Club is the first of the city clubs on tho scene with regard to tho instruction of life-saving classes, and its first class was sot down to be held last evening. The classes will probably be continued weekly throughout tho 'season. Fridays -being sot aside for that purpose. The Canterbury Centre is early on the setno with tho programme for the Mew Zealand championships, which will

b* held over four days—February 15th, :7th, noth and 22nd. The scene will ho the -Municipal Tcq>id Baths. Tho X»ro gram mo is as follows: hirst day—looyds New Zealand championship; ouc-milo Now Zealand chnm--I'ionsliip; 66 2-Jlyds inter-club handicap; ladies’ iutcr-club handicap, 33 l-3yds; j r.ter-tdub relay race, 133 3-3yds; high divo; novelty events; rounds of acw Zealand water polo championship. Second day—Bßoyds New Zealand cham[ionsliip; 220yd* NVw Zealand championfhip; first-class inter-club handicap, 100 yds; second-class inter-club handicap, to 2-3yds; ladies' iutcr-club handicap, 66 2-3yds; relay race, 133 1-3 yards; springboard divo; novelty events; rounds of New Zealand water polo championship. Third day—looyds ladies' New Zealand championship; 220yds New Zealand breast-stroke championship; 66 2-3yds inter-club handicap; 75yds Canterbury schoolboys' championship, third distance; final New Zealand water polo championship; relay race 133 l-3yds; interprovincial life-saving championship; invitation scratch race, GO 2-3yd?q Fourth clay —HOyds Now Zealand championship; 550yds Now Zealand hying squadron championship; first-class iutcrclub handicap, 300yds; second-class interclub handicap, 66 2-3yds; ladies’ iufcercJub handicap, 33 l-3yds; relay race handicap, 133 l-3ycls; novelty event; divo.

Thus “Natator” in “Canterbury Times”: “Tho question of tho Canterbury Centro handing over tho balance in hand, A'2o, of tho Government grant (humane branch) to tho Canterbury head Centre* of the Toy a I Life-saving Society has been amicably settled by the executive, which has rejwrtcd that, in view of the good work done by the society, in ail its branches, and also fcho fact* that six life-saving reels were to bo housed at Sumner, the centre should hand over this money with a. recommendation that it should go towards the expenses in housing theso reels. This decision no doubt has settled a question that has been disturbing tho minds of several delegates for some time, but I d> no sec why tho Info-saving Society should pay tho expenses of housing theso reels. Tho Lyttelton Harbour Board provided them, and 1 think that tho least that the Sumner Borough Council could do is to provide tho sheds, and tho sooner tho better, at? they will not save many lives where they uro stored now, viz., in tho Tepid Baths’ cellar." Apparently the Sumner Borough Council is not so siezed with the value of reels and lifesaving squads on. an open beach as is the Wellington City Council, which has provided reels for both tho existing surf clubs and a club-house for tho Lya.il Bay Club.

. Tho proposed visit of a. team of Sydney Club swimmers to blew Zealand” was ■discussed at tho last meeting of the Now Zealand Council, and it was decided to ask the Sydney Club to communicate officially with tho council on the matter.