SWIMMING

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22810, 20 February 1936, Page 5

SWIMMING

By Neptune.

COMING EVENTS ■ February 20.—Visit of champions to Milton. February 22. —Kaikorai Club’s Harbour Swim. February 22 and 23. —New Zealand surf life-saviug championships, at Dunedin. February 28. —Roxburgh Club’s annual carnival Club Hours. —Mondays (8.45-9.45 p.m.), St. Clair and St. Hilda; Tuesdays (6-7) and Thursdays (8.45-9,45), Kiwi; Wednesdays and Fridays (8.45 to 9.45), Dunedin; Saturdays (8.45-9.45), Kaikorai; Tuesdays (8.45 : 9.45), centre’s polo hour. All club hours mentioned above are at the Municipal Baths. Zenith Club hours nightly at • the Y.M.C.A Baths except Fridays.

At the time of writing the New Zealand National Championship meeting has, from every point of view, justified the prophecy that it would prove the most successful fixture of its kind ever held in Dunedin, if not in the Dominion. Entries in most events constitute a record, the racing so far has been exceptionally keen, and the standard of swimming high; moreover, the attendances at every session have been such as would gladden the heart of even the most tight-fisted treasurer. What more could the swimming public or the governing body desire. The crowds which have packed the benches each day bave, above everything, afforded striking evidence that public interest in swimming has increased to an astonishing degree in the past few years, although, unfortunately, it must be admitted that the Otago Centre lias been faced with the problem of finding accommodation for everyone who wished to witness the racing. Surely the best of all arguments in favour of a new public baths. At last local swimming enthusiasts have realised their desire to see the brilliant Aucldand girl Mona Leydon in action. They have not been disappointed, although most of them are wondering where on earth she gets her speed from. With almost a. minimum of leg work she slips through the water effortlessly and with a beautiful, rhythmic arm action that is a treat to watch. It is alogether puzzling, and out of a welter of opinions as to the why and wherefore of her unorthodox methods one can only state definitely that she is a wonderful swimmer. A tremendous arm' drive, allied to more than usual natural buoyancy, seems to have a good deal to do with her speed, but above everything else, she is one-of those very rare beings, a natural swimmer. The final of the ladies’ furlong revealed her as a real champion, possessed of all the shrewd judgment of how a race should be swum. It was expected that Miss Basstian, after her performance in her heat, would provide the stiffest opposition for the title-holder, but quite unaccountably she faded badly in the final, and failed to finish in a. place. Miss Maxine Mathicson swam with her usual determination to take second place to the Aucklander, and although beaten, she was by no means disgraced, for she made a fine showing. Another satisfactory feature of this final w’as the dashing form displayed by Miss P. Sporle, who swam the race of her life to take third place. She also collected a meritorious place in the quarter. Another stranger to the Dunedin swimming public was the doughty Wanganui breaststroker, who, with his win on Saturday night, captured the 220 Yards Breaststroke title for the eighth year in succession—truly a unique record. There are no fireworks about Smith —as a matter of fact, until one sws him in competition against other good swimmers one does not realise' what a wonderful exponeut of breaststroke he is. Everything lie does seem to be working towards the maximum of speed with a minimum of effort; and how his abnormally long glide conies about is a mystery. Something exceptionally good will have to come along within the next 12 months if he is to be prevented from winning hie ninth championship. Reg Geddes and Clive Elliott, Otago’s representatives in the Breaststroke, both thoroughly deserved their placings, and to be beaten by a swimmer of the calibre

of Smith was certainly nothing to be ashamed of. Geddes, ' like the good sportsman he is, put the game before the win, and helped his province out in the afternoon by playing for the A team in a hard game of water polo, otherwise he would have been closer up at the finish than he was. C. Elliott, although not at the top of his form, swam one of the best races of his career to head off the Taranaki contender, J.- .Davies, for third place. The Mile Race alone gave the spectators on Saturday night full value for their money* and the duel between O’Driscoll and the Canterbury champion, Newell, was one .of those tussles that swimmers talk about for years afterwards. The surprise of the race was the comparatively early retirement of the title-holder, Watkins, who never at any stage seemed quite comfortable. It was not until there were only six laps to go that Newell began to get a break on O’Driscoll, and then it was doubtful whether the action of the other Canterbury competitor, S. C: Cliff, who was hopelessly out of the race, in dropping back to pace the winner, . was strictly ethical. Apparently the captain of the Canterbury team, Derek Symes, did not think so, for as soon as he saw what was happening he ordered Cliff out of the water. Newell,, in any case, would have won, for it is doubtful- if any swimmer in New Zealand would have been capable of staging a 25 yards sprint at the end of a gruelling mile, as he did, and again on Wednesday night, winning the SBO Yards in a similar manner.

Frankham showed brilliant form both in his heat and the final of the Men’s 100 Yards. He can, however, consider himself lucky that he reached the final, as in the heat he definitely rendered himself liable to disqualification. As it happened Auckland would have won the final in any case, but the fact remains that, while such breaches might be overlooked in a Boy Scouts’ carnival, they should be dealt with in the proper manner in a national championship. Frankham, on finishing his heat, touched under ‘ water and stood up. He was given the tip to touch above water, but before doing so he stepped forward, which, according to the rules, automatically .disqualified him. Now, the judges deprived him of his win and placed him third —surely a halfhearted way of doing things, for, as the writer sees it, he was either in or out. Moreover, one wonders what would have happened had there been four in the heat; Would he have been placed fourth? P Hanan, who gained second place in this race, has any amount of speed, and the fact of his holding Frankham to a touch in the final showed that he is in the first flight of the Dominion’s sprinters. Walter Jarvis was not at hia best, and throughput the meeting was obviously still suffering from the effects of his trip across the Tasman. Peter Mathieson’s record-breaking swim in the 150 Yards Backstroke Championship proved an eye-opened to those who had never previously seen him in action, and some idea of the brilliance of his effort can be gained from the fact that his time was only 5 2-ssec outside the listed world’s record. There is no question that Mathieson is the nearest to a world class swimmer that New Zealand has ever produced. Arthur Thomas is to be congratulated on his plucky swim in this race.- No one grudged him his triumph, for year in and year out he has given such good service to swimming that it was about time that a major success came his way. It is doubtful if anything more finished than Miss Gwen Rix’s display in the Ladies’ Diving Championship has ever been witnessed previously at a championship meeting. Throughout the series she hardly, to use a colloquialism, put a foot wrong, and her victory was a clear-cut one. In the circumstances Mre Isaacs performed with every credit, and in some of her numbers she would have beaten a good many more divers than would have beaten her. The Ladies’ Backstroke event was notable in that it gave Miss Nancy Basstian the first senior,title ever wou by a Southlander. She swam with great dash, and over the final 15 yards her tussle with. ' Miss Nancy Barton, the Auckland girl, was a memorable one. Another remarkable feature of the race was the fact that the judges placed Miss Leydon second and Miss Barton third, when the greater majority of the 1000 or so spectators, including many who . were in a good position to witness the finish, saw

(or perhaps imagined they . saw) Miss Barton placed second. Belatedly, word came from the judges that Miss Barton failed to touch properly, but one wonders, why-this was-not- announced immediately after the race. The failure of Walter Jarvis in the Men’s Furlong was unfortunate, but when it is considered that he was hardly fit to go in the water, let alone, swim, he is to be commended for a gallant effort. Derek Symes’s victory was a sound piece of work, for, he judged the pace of his opposition to a nicety, and brought out his final sprint at just the right time. CANTERBURY’S SURF TEAM For the first time in nine years'Canterbury will be represented at the Dominion life-saving championships, which will be decided at St. Clair on Saturday and Sunday. During this period the Canterbury Surf Life-saving Association has not taken part in the competitions, mainly because of a difference of opinion with the New Zealand Surf Association about the rules for the Nelson Shield Competition, the chief event at the championships. •; This year, .however, the rules have been altered, so that they are now acceptable by the Canterbury Association. Since 1926 individual clubs in Christchurch, however, have entered teams. The following team has been chosen to represent the Canterbury Association by the selectors (Messrs A. I. Cottrell, H. S. Feast, and D. V. Wilson): —E. A. Allen (instructor), D. H. Symes, L. J. Mom-house, A. T. Dalton, M. R. Rattray, J. A. Young, M. T. Butterwick, and G. S. Cooper-. One-will be an emergency. >