SWIMMING

Southland Times, Issue 22486, 22 January 1935, Page 6

SWIMMING

DOMINION HONOURS SECOND NIGHT OF CHAMPIONSHIPS BATH GAINS SECOND (Per United Press Association.) Timaru, January 21. Heavy rain to-night spoilt the junior and intermediate swimming championships carnival, the South Canterbury Centre being forced to abandon the handicap events. Five championship races were decided, however, at the conclusion of which Auckland and Otago were level for the War Memorial Shield with four points. Auckland won three events and Otago two. Results:— 440 YARDS INTERMEDIATE BOYS’ CHAMPIONSHIP.

S. Jarvis (Otago) 1 A, Pascoe (Auckland) 2 D. O’Neill (Wellington) 3 Also started: N. Stokes (Canterbury), J. Barry (Otago), D. Parsons (South Canterbury). Won by 25 yards. Time, smm. 37sec.

100 YARDS INTERMEDIATE BOYS’ BREASTSTROKE CHAMPIONSHIP. D. Webster (Auckland) 1

H. Callender (Otago) 2 H. Horsfall (Canterbury) 3 Also started: G. G. Ruston (Otago), W. Millar (Southland). Won by a touch. Time, 82 l-ssec.

220 YARDS JUNIOR BOYS’ FREESTYLE CHAMPIONSHIP. C. McGregor (Otago) 1 T. Bath (Southland) 2 S. Mulholland (South Canterbury) Also started: T. Jones (Auckland), G. Watson (South Canterbury). A great finish, McGregor just getting a hand on the rope first. Time, 3min. 5 l-ssec.

100 YARDS INTERMEDIATE GIRLS’ FREESTYLE CHAMPIONSHIP. E. Rainey (Auckland) 1 D. Symons (Southland) 2 R. Lbw (Canterbury) 3 ■ Also started: B. Frye (Canterbury), M. Latimer (South Canterbury), R. Gillon (South Canterbury). Won easily. Time, lmin. 9 3-ssec.

100 YARDS JUNIOR GIRLS’ FREESTYLE CHAMPIONSHIP. J. Melhose (Auckland) 1 G. Priestly (Auckland) 2 M. Black (Auckland) 3 Also started: B. Graham (Canterbury), J. MacDonald (Southland), R. Jarvis (Otago). Won easily. Time, lmin. 13sec. THE SOUTHLAND TEAM BATH’S GALLANT PERFORMANCE. (Special to the Times.) Timaru, January 21. Timaru belied its reputation for sunshine this evening, driving rain, making conditions miserable for the continuation of the intermediate and junior swimming championships. Rain fell all the afternoon and after a hurried meeting the committee decided to postpone all the handicap events and to go on with five championships. Rain fell after the end of the first event and continued right through. The competitors shivered between races and while waiting to start, but there were no complaints regarding the water.

Auckland and Otago are now on even terms with four wins each, Southland tailing in third place with one. Everyone agreed that the best race of the night was the 220 yards junior boys’ freestyle, in which young Tom Bath swam one of the best races of his short career. As in the 100 yards event on Saturday, McGregor (Otago) and Bath hit the lead early and touched the end of the first lap together. They were on even terms over the next 50 yards, which they cut out in lmin. 31 sec. Bath had had a slight lead over this lap. Mulholland was lying third some distance back. The third lap found the leaders fighting out a great duel, the little Southlander touching first amidst great excitement. They raced stroke for stroke to the 175 yards mark, where McGregor opened up a yard lead. He touched first, but Bath pulled up and it was a neck and neck race for the finish, where McGregor secured the judge’s decision by the barest touch.

If Doris Symon had not fouled the lane rope in the 100 yards intermediate freestyle event she would have given the title holder, Edna Rainey, a much more determined fight for premier honours. Misses Rainey, Symon and Rhoda Low (Canterbury) were well clear of the field at the start, the Aucklander gradually opening up a gap. Misses Symon and Low were having a tussle for second place, but the former settled down to an even stroke and went ahead. Miss Rainey increased the lead by four yards on the second lap. Then Miss Symon made her spurt and reduced the deficit to two yards, Miss Low being a similar distance back.

The heats of the 440 yards intermediate freestyle event had been decided in the morning and it was expected that Jarvis and Pascoe would be the contestants for first place. So it proved, but the Otago boy always had the race well in hand. He led from the start and Pascoe and Barry (Otago), were the closest attendants. Jarvis led by a foot at the 200 yards mark and by two yards at the 300 yards mark. Then he clapped on the pace and was 10 yards ahead at the 350, gradually moving away to win by 30 yards from Pascoe, with O’Neill beating Barry by a touch a similar distance away. J. Macdonald was Southland’s representative in the 100 yards junior girls’ freestyle event. Three Aucklanders, J. Melhouse, G. Priestley and M. Black, led at the start, with Macdonald next. Black, Priestley and B. Graham (Canterbury) touched first and Melhouse hit a good lead to win comfortably by two yards. Priestley and Black were always together, the latter just getting there by a touch. Horsfall (Canterbury), Webster (Auckland), and Miller (Southland) were the early leaders in the 100 yards boys’ intermediate breaststroke event. Callander (Otago) moved up to turn first, but in a great finish Webster overtook him and won by a touch, with Horsfall third. Miller went well in the early stages, but could not maintain the fast pace set by the place-getters. The heats of several events will be decided in the morning and the finals to-morrow night. The performance of the Southlanders has been excellent in view of the intense competition and the high standard set by the Auckland and Otago competitors.