Swimming

Southland Times, Issue 19480, 1 April 1922, Page 9

Swimming

(By Touch), At the Opawa /Amateur Swimming Club last week N. S. Batchelor succeeded in breaking the 100yds New Zealand intermediate record by 1 1-5 sec. 'l’he previous record of 62 1-5 sec was heid by L. Fairgay, who established it at Wellington at the last New Zealanu Championships. Batchelor swam the distance in 61 sec,. A real “trier” was discovered amongst the contestants in the race for boys under ten years of age at the Masterton D.H.S. swimming sports on Tuesday (states the "Age'). He was a little chap of eight, and when the word “Go I” was given he was one of the first to take the water. Once there, however, he had “done his dash,” for he was ignorant of the art of swimming, and after floundering about in water over his head had to befrescued by a couple of older boys. The action of three members of the New Brighton Surf Club in refusing to compete as members of the Canterbury representative team for the Nelson Shield life-saving contests at the New Zealand championship meeting in Wellington '.ast month provoked a lively discussion at a meeting of the Canterbury Surf Association in Christchurch last week. The members concerned had been selected for the Canterbury taam, but instead had represented their club at the contest, and New Brighton won tha shield. The 'Jiree members, in correspondence, gave reasons for their action. During the course of a long discussion it was emphasised that a principle was at stake,, in that in sport it was recognised that when a person was selected to represent I his province he must do so unless he has a sound reason for refusing. It was re- I solved: “That the association dees not i consider the explanation offered by th

three members satisfactory from a surfing standpoint to the association, and that they be censured for their action.” An amendment, that the members be suspended from the date of the offence, was defeated; alsq a second amendment, that the association view with displeasure the action of the three members, and express regret for the lateness in the selection of the Canterbury team. Before the motion „was put the New Brighton Club delegates withdrew from the meeting. The most serious split in the history of the New South Wales Swimming Association took place last week when a general meeting considered the advisability of Harold Hardwick’s reinstatement. Hardwick, one of the most prominent swimmers in the State lost his amateur status by competing professionally as a boxer which automatically barred him from competing as an amateur in any sport, the governing body of which is affiliated to the Sporting Federation. The Swimming Association is so affiliated. After an exceedingly lively meeting had got under way points of order wereraised as to whether the motion for re-instatement was in order, the chief objection being that under the rules of the Australian Swimming Union a professional must be re instated first of all in the sport in which he broke his status. The chairman in the face of these objections ruled the motion out of order, to the great dissatisfaction of supporters of the re-instatement. Not to be beaten this section of the meeting carried a motion dissenting from the chairman’s ruling. The chairman promptly left (he 1 ctir.q with a number of the office be Hardwick was then re-instated by otes to 7. Later most of the officials . □ had with drawn sent in their resignations, with the exception of the president who stales he does not intend to let the matter re«t where it is now. In the meantime no one seems to know what is going to hapen.