J. NEVILLE’S PROMISE

Taranaki Daily News, 8 February 1934, Page 10

J. NEVILLE’S PROMISE

LOW OIVINO STANDARDS

WATER POLO REFEREEING.

BUSY PERIOD FOR SURFERS.

(By'

“Trudgeon.”)

J. Neville-’s brilliant win the the Taranaki mile swimming championship last Saturday was as deserved as it was .unexpected. Over all distances he had been showing good promise all through the summer, culminating in several good performances at. the national junior and intermediate championships at Palmerston North, at which he was a Taranaki representative. But good though his times had been, only his most sanguine supporters expected him to win the mile against one- of the best fields for some time. .

J. Blyfh swam well, but the suggestion that in starting and turning, Taranaki swimmers have a good deal to learn was exemplified in his case. He turned -under water most of the time, a procedure that always lost him ground. Neville has a very easy style—in fact, it looks too easy, for he appears to put no work into his arms under the wafer. Despite the appearance, the results are there in such a,manner that his style is the best in Taranaki for distance swimming. With Neville for the distances and Milne for the sprints, Ta’ranaki should be well served for the next few years.

Busy Time. Surf swimmers have a busy three weeks ahead of them. On Sunday the Ohawe championships will be held, a week following will be the New Plymouth day and a week after that— February 25—will see five Taranaki teams competing at Wanganui and two at the national championships at Auckland. On Saturday week the Flannagan Cup race will probably attract one or two of the surf experts. Competitors will heed to be in tip-top form during the period to stand the strain. Diving. Unless something is done, the standard of diving in Taranaki will fall' to a hopeless depth. The display during the New Plymouth club’s carnival last Saturday was very poor. A back dive off the New Plymouth low board gave competitors no chance of a decent flight, while a dive off the middle board is cordially loathed by all divers. The middle board has a habit, “Trudgeon” understands, of throwing a diver anywhere but in the desired spot. The present diving platforms need to be changed completely. The awkward approach to the topboard gives competitors little chance of obtaining points for deportment.. It would be better at'the end nearest the wall so that competitors would have no need to adopt the clumsy method of turning the back on the spectators. "The present device gives competitors like R. Williams, Saturdays winner, who certainly has a good flight and who certainly can -dive, an excuse to amble lazily to the end of■ the board, paying no attention to deportment. In addition, the low board is not a true test of ability. Some alterations are needed.

Hawera Swimming. Members of the Hawera club have competed in numerous events during the past week and their successes have been many. Jack Blyth, in addition to. winning tfie Taranaki half-mile championship at the local carnival, was placed second in the mile champtonship at New Plymouth on Saturday. In both these events the records were bettered by many seconds. Bert R/an performed very well to take third place in the halfmile championship in which he finished well ahead of his old rival St. George. The Hawera speedsters, Anderson, I. Jobson, G. Beaven and R. Clarke, captured the Grey Cup after a most exciting race in which seven teams participated. . \ Ted Tarrant on the 9 sec. mark proved too fast for the back markers in the open breaststroke at the Hawera carnival. He should concentrate on this style of swimming. Butchart also performed well ini that event. Jack Tarrant gained a popular win in the 50yds. race. In that event Hawera members won all but one heat, in which Burgess (6 sec.), Patea, took the honours from Anderson (scr.) and McKay (8 see.) . The senior diving was of a high standard and the exhibition at the close of that event was appreciated by the spectators. J. Oliver and D. Ekdahl were outstanding and Sander’s back dives, borers and the various somersault dives, were performed very neatly. The new high spring board will give the Hawera divers much more scope for fancy diving and it is expected that the standard will be greatly improved. The Hawera B polo team played well to give Inglewood such a close game. The one goal margin was a true indication of the difference in the competing teams. Hawera A now leads the southern division by two points from Inglewood. The ladies’ team proved too strong for the Inglewood., ladies and victory went to Hawera by 3 goals to 1. The game was interesting throughout. The six-a-side relay was popular and the crowd was on tip-toe as the Hawera team took the lead in the fifth lap when Jobson overhauled the leaders and gave Anderson an easy task'in the final sprint. In the ladies’ fifty Hawera filled all three places when Misses C. Marsh, B. Smith and S. Seaver finished, in . that. order. Joan Anderson , swam , well to win. the junior girls’ race and E._Carmichael is a very promising swimmer in this division. R. Head in the' junior boys’ 50yds.-swam very well. He is improving with every swim and the coaching from his father is beginning to mould his style into a very useful one. M. Chadwick and N. Carter did well to gain second and third places in the Taranaki intermediate.diving championship as they had done very little diving until they were taken in hand by “Scotty” Oliver about two days before the carnival. Unsatisfactory Feature.

The only unsatisfactory feature of the Hawera carnival was ■. the number of competitors who broke - their marks. It was not merely that in nearly every race someone got a “flier” but in two glaring cases swimmers secured definitely winning advantages. In a heat of the 50 yards three men broke to the extent of a second and a-half,‘two of them just nosing out the limit man who was really the winner, but they were not disqualified. Then in the last lap of the relay ■a swimmer broke by a margin of three yards, which made all the difference to his team’s placing. Such bad examples will only serve to accentuate the habit Taranaki swimmers have of being in the air if not in the water when their number is called.

Surf Competitions. Ohawe Surf Club members have been training very hard for their competitions to be staged on Sunday at Ohawe. Mi-. W. Claringbold' has them in good shape and they expect to finish well up the list. There will 'be numerous visiting teams in action so that surf' enthusiasts should have an interesting day. East End Surf Club.

With two junior teams in strict training, the East End Surf Club has great hopes of carrying off the Pennant competition at the New Plymouth surf day on February 18. One team is composed

of High School boys, who will be entered from the school. In the event of their winning, part of the honour and glory will go to the club. The other team is made- up of club members and is igenerally- considered to be equal to the club’s senior team. The encouragement of the juniors is a fine idea and one that is-likely to repay the club in years to ■ come. Water Polo. Once again a tendency decried ■ before, of rough play in water polo was-noticed ■in the- matches—yes, even the junior ■ Garth' Cup match—at the New Plymouth 'Club’s • carnival. Although C. J. Mac;Leail,’ Fitzroy, was ordered out of the water, several others on both sides might 'just- as easily have come under Referee ■ Smale’s eye. Although the new rules are ;most ■ definite on the point of -infringe!ment, a'< little less use of the Whistle would help the game along.Probably a draw would have been a better indication of the merits of the Fitzroy and New Plymouth game. Both , tea ms were scrappy; enough in all conscience, and : the throwing was .wild at times. Subtlety for some reason is entirely lacking from the game. The Garth Cup final was a poor exhibition, Inglewood being no match for the by-no-means outstanding New Plymouth side. Junior polo is a very good idea for the development of the game, but it lacks the colour of a senior game. A little better arrangement of the programme could have been made, for two polo matches, one a prolonged affair, and a mile championship on the one night made the carnival rather long. Admittedly it is difficult, to avoid it, for matches must be-played, but the public must be considered. National Championships.

The time of the' senior national championships is drawing near, and main attention throughout the Dominion is being centred on the three days’ racing which will take place at ChristChurch, commencing on February 17. The Canterbury centre, which will control the championships, anticipates a record meeting, and the preliminary arrangements are well in hand. On previous occasions when the championships haVe been held in • Christchurch the indoor tepid baths' have been the scene of operations, but this year a change is being 'made, and the new baths at St. Albans will be used. This pool, which originally was intended to be fifty yards in length, but which has been cut down to 33 1-3 yards, has only recently been built. According to reports, it will be quite a suitable structure for the holding of the national

events. The water will not be tepid, and this may have an effect on the times likely to be recorded, as well as perhaps being a harder proposition for those used to salt water, but nevertheless the actual racing will not be affected and some great competition should be in evidence. In one respect the Canterbury centre will be fortunate in that there is ample space for the erection of seating accommodation for the public, as against the restricted facilities at the indoor baths. These have always been a disadvantage, militating against large attendances, and, in consequence, carnivals held at these baths have hardly ever been real’ financial successes. Provided the weather is good,, the new venue should allow for a reasonable profit from the forthcoming meeting.

Forthcoming Events. February 11: Hawera surf contests. February 17: New Plymouth Ladies’ Life-Saving Club carnival (evening). Flannagan Cup ocean race (afternoon). February 18: New Plymouth surf contests. February 22: Eltham Club’s carnival. February 24: Okato Club carnival.

February 25: National Surf championships, Takapuna. . Hackshaw-Searle Shield competition, Castlecliff. February 27: Taranaki intermediate and junior championships, New Plymouth. March 1: Wgitara Club’s carnival.'