SWIMMING.

Press, Volume LVI, Issue 16986, 8 November 1920, Page 9

SWIMMING.

♦ MISS WALDRON'S PERFORMANCES AT HOME. (FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.) LONDON, September '23. Long distance ewiunning has probably been developed in England to a much i; renter extent than it has been in Now Zealand. Thus a ladies' five-mile championship calls for no ospecial commcnt in this country. Out of thirty starters who swam in tho open championship tinder tho auspices of the Amateur Swimming Association only two did not succeed in swimming trie distunec. Tho oourso was in tho Thamce, from Kcw Bri4go to Putney Bridge, a. portion of the river which sweeps round in two great curves in. tho west suburban London. Tho exact distance ia fivo miles 60 yards. Of the thirty who etaTtod, twenty-nine wero English girls, the only Colonial representative being- Miss V. AYalrona, the Xcw Zealand champion. After returning from, tho Olympic Games, Miss AValrond had three practico swims in tho river, on tho last occasion —two days btforo tho race—covering four miles, n.nd foeling confident that she could complete tho full distance of'th© course. Tho start was .made at the turning of thi tido, and as the raco proceeded a, fairly strong stream helped tho comp-otitors considerably. Nevertheless, it was hard .su-iin-min;j from etart to finish, the winner completing the distance in 1 hour 12 minutes 59 2-oth seconds. Mis 3 C. M. Jeans, tlie Nottingham swimmer, who contested at the Olympic Games, tlrew out from the start, ana maintained her position oil tho way. She was closely followed by Mi:3 L. Morton (Blackpool) ar.d by Miss Vv'ulrond. At tho end of tho first jnilo ten yards separated Miss Jeans and Miss Morton, and tho New Zealand swimmer followed thirty yards behind. Another Nottingham swimmer held' fourth place, following at a distance of fifteen, yards. The remainder of tlic competitors by this time wore coming up at distances varying from 80 to 2UO yards behind. The-first two swimmers Itept fairly close to one another throughout the whole distar.co, and slowly gained on Miss "VValrood, so that, at tho end of tho fourth mile, Mi.=.<» Morten was 50 yards behind Miss Jeans, arid Miss AValrond 170 yards behind Misa "Morton. Tho lady holding fourth place m«do a special effort and passed the New Zealand swimmer by ft few yards, but this was Only for a. short distance, for iliss Walrowt jxaintairuxi a strong, steady "crawl" all tho way, and easily got ahead again. In any ease, tho fo'urtU competitor was disqualified for hari'ig lo touch her boat through a slight attack of cramp. Thus tho race linitlied as follows:—1, Mies Constance M. Jcnn* (Nottingham). Ihr ICmin 53 2-cscc: 2. Mis* Lucv JTuitoii (Blackpool),. Ihr 13miu 14sec; 8, Miss Violet AValrond (New Zealand), llir llimin '22kvc. After ihe race the prizes were presented at tli© Star aud Garter Hotel at Putney, find Mies "Walrond received hearty congratulations and flattering commcnt on her excellent performance. Tho report* of ibc race in the daily papers especially refer to ''the 1 ph'.cky little fiftoen-ycar-old Now Zc-aiaiider, and her splendid effort. She reieiwd n handsome ;;old jiiedal as winner of third place. At the club roecs at the Hammersmith Butha this week, Miss Walrond entered for th«j TO Yards Ladies' Open Handicap. She had to give away 10 seconds, fonio of the swimmers l eir.g half-way down the baths before she started. She was «W*> to :na!:e up ihe distance, however, and won by a yard.