SWIMMING.

Taranaki Herald, Volume 16, Issue 14, 16 October 1909, Page 5

SWIMMING.

b> si (By "Crawl.") J Any notes of interest which secretaries of clubs and others may nave for publication in this column should reach • Scrawl" not later than Thursday {„ morning. ' , . , n, The membership of- th© local olub £ continues to increase and the season ai promises to bo the best experienced for r( many a year. ; , . • h< The local club hat lost; the services of , p] its secretary, Mr. A. C. Maxwell, who 8I has been transferred by the Railway it Department to Wangapui. Mr. Max- , c , well had held office for twelve months. Ci and only a fortnight or three, weeks aj;o n was appointed far his second term. He a | was always an obliging a,nd hard work- %t% t ing official, and was very popular „, among the club members. A meeting b< is being held, at once to appoint a sue- C i cessor to a man who will be hard to.follow, so enthusiastic lias Mr. Maxwoli bi always been. . „ s There is every indication that New n< Plymouth will have three strong pol» a: teams this year— the East and the 1\ <-4 oi nnd a third team composed of a "U'nlx>i & of enthusiast* who have pitched tents jv and intend spending the summer 1 months on tho beach in the vicinity of * the breakwater. Should the latter form a n team it would take a lot of beatm«, "i for it would possces, I am told, pro- £ minent players from both the lo«n $ clubs. With three teams to choose from, *> nnd with such excellent inatfrml, thf « l-jcal swimming club's clianc* of retaininu the West Coast championship is> '■'*- * ceedingly bri^i. It ib also hoped to s«*nd a representative team to compete sj in the New Zealand championships. t] The Hawera Club held its annual *| jneeting on the Ist inst., when the fol- t , lowing officers Were elected foi tht on- t] s.uing year:— Presi'lont, Mr. J. Brunettefebb captain, Mr. J. L. Anderson ; „. deputy captoin, Mr. W r . M'Niven; sec- O] reUry, Mr. E. Fodcn, sen. ; assistant t] ££ury, Mr. W. J. Bright; commit- ?1 tee, Messrs. A. Kean, Warciip, W. J. i, Mahoney, Huuter, and F. Foden. English swimmers were decidedly successful at the international champion- \ ships, held at Paris on August 15, and » earned all before them. The most not- - able victory was gained by G. C. Dockroll, of Dubliu, over Meyboom, the Belgian crack,' in the 100 metres race. The 500 metres scratch race and the 2<M metres handicap -were won by P. Kadmilovic, while the English water polo team beat France by six goals to three. Up to date, writes "Leandor in a recent Sportsman, two attempts himbeen made this month (Augnst) to strirn the Channel, but both have ended through the swimmers being overtaken by sea sickness. That this should li?*'" happened to such experienced &>a. sv nnwon as Holbein and Stcarne is remarkable, the more so as on both ocoflPions the sea was quite smooth. In recent years Holbein has often been similarly attacked, and it would appear from this thaijjrjth increasing years the famous cyclistdoes not improve. Holbein speaks of making another attempt, an«l then, succeed or fail, of retiring for . good. _„ , Two championships of England were • decided early in August, details of > «hieh are now to hand. The first— i* the half-mile championship— took place 3 at Swindon in the open water, and ! in boisterous weather. Only three nr.c.i i started, P. Radmilovic, (who scored [, second in the long-distance championshiph H. Taylor (Chadderton, who won *- the race through London) and T. ,S. Pattersby (Sonthport). Battersby took the lead early in the race, nnd swim- ) irinc strongly, won by quite JO yard <, p in llmin 47* sec. The other mce--.tlic u>ilo championship — was decided at B Sonthport. Of tho five original en- »- trants four took the water, the abseni tee being P. Radmilovic, of Westpn- " super-Mare, the four swimmers being V C. S. Smith (Southport), H. Taylor 9- <Chadderton), W. Foster (Bacup), and » T. S. Battershy (Southixirt). A grand >• start was effected, and Battersby at ra once took the lead, which he mamtain1, ed to the end, winning in 24mm lfsec. >* The other competitors were placed in tlie foUowing order : —Taylor (24min ig 2?Hsec). Foster (25mm 3sec>, Smith (28 •n irin 17tsec). Battersby's time in this event was a record for the distance, •t The third of a series of races through I'- liondon from Richmond to Blackfnars, t- promoted by the Weekly Dispatch, was- •" rl»ei(led recently there being tlurty-twa "- c-»snpetitors. Amongst tjio starters r - were J. A. Jarvis, of Leicester. _ the v. inner on the two previous occasions, n- 11. Taylor, of Chadderton, tbe Olympic >n Hinmpion, F. Kearsley, of Atlierton, lie uho «as second last year. Tom Heece. »m the well-known billiard player, JH. S. a- B>nith of Teignmouth. and many of other weH-known long-distance swimmers, and eight ladies. The race reill suited itf a win for H. Taylor, who did lee the distance (sixteen miles) ii> Mir; >n. 2taiin 38sec, J. A Jarvis 3hrs 34inin ti- 2<feec) was second, and J. Kearblev ks («hrs 40miir8sec) was third. Amongst • the lady competitors Miss E. Shipley I

(4hr oniin 48sec) was first, shtf'occupying the thirteenth position. Misf Smith, who took two minutes longei than Miss Shipley, was fourteenth. C. M. Daniels, the world's sprint champion made his outdoor swimming debut this season, and easily won ihi 440 yards National Amateur Athletk Union championship last month at Travers Island, on Lond Island Sound. Daniels is reported to have been in fine form, ana, without ever being extended, won in smin oTfsec — 2f«ec outside record. A report has reached "Plunger" in the Athletic News that the world's record hojder recently swam 220 yards in 2min 25fsec, at Pittßbnrg. If this is correct, and the performance was done in a 25 yards bath, it, indicates a great improvement in the American's form, and is the finest performance at tho distance on record.