SWIMMING.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 430, 12 February 1909, Page 6

SWIMMING.

NEW ZEALAND CHAMPIONSHIPS. FIRST DAY'S EVENTS. HEALY BEATS CHAMPION. (BT TELEGIIAril —STKCIAI, COUUESI'OKDEN'T.) ' Tlmaru, February 11. The weather for the first day of the New Zealand amateur swimming championships carni-val-held to-day in the Century Commemoration bath, was enjoyable for spectators, though the south-west wind was rather .keen for the scantily-clad competitors.. The recentlyformed South Canterbury -.Centre" of '.'the Swimming Association' had made excellent arrangements for the gathering, and.the" bath 50 yards m length, provides a good stretch of water tor the championship competitions. The interest taken in, the events by. swimmers was unusually keen, and there were competitors from Dunedm, Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, and Oamaru. ; The chief interest centered m the meeting of the holder of five New Zealand championships, M. E Champion, of Auckland, and R; Hoaly, a former champion of New South Wales, who is now domiciled in Wellington. Champion won his first championships m 1901, and was not again a competitor, until lait season, when he practically scooped the pool. He was so much superior to the other competitors then that lfide ?i that this 'he would do much bettor things. Healy's supporters wero numerous, and a' battle royal jias expected bettween the cracks. Healy had^already- Christchurch swimmers 1+ +l„ i •' hav , mg gained distinction at the Australasian championship meeting 1 eld during the Exhibition period, and since l™ o^i d , one exC6Ucnt performances ' y? les ' a . number of last season s championships being amongst his successes. who expected more than usually l!I.;ntt S i mg iT ra i Clng } ver e in ;no 'way disapFi ■ Healy and Champion met twice in tho: afternoon and though Healy won both events in.such a mannerr as to indicate'his sfstently Pl ° n SWam £ amel y and con-

tJ ■ m heats of the 50 Yards Inter-Club Handicap, the 220 Yards Championship. was taken. F. E. Dodge and L, Penrose, tw ° .representatives, comP? 4 ®' l "! addition to Healy and Champion. Ihe pace; was fast from the start, the ■im e M y n y s ds ' be . in ? 31sec., and for 1 i u i u 2 "® seo - A hundred and fifty Jards had been covered before Healy could gam any advantage, the time still being .good, but then the Wellington representative drew away, owimming an easy, powerful - stroke, Jie was never m ganger in the. closing, stages or the race, and > his win by five yards was loudly applauded. .The time was 3sec. slower than 1 the. New > Zealand record, but both the winner (2min. 44sec.) and Champipn, 2min. 48sec., were within the standard 1 time of 2min, 50sec.,; while Dodge, who swam a good race and- finished in first-class style, i o m. £ dlstln °tiOH. of a standard' by threefifths of a> second.-. Penrose, who has the misfortune to' suffer from rheumatism, found thei water hardly favourable, and was some distance away.. \ - j, sea'.?5 ea '.? and Champion met again in'the half-mile* championship,: and Christchurch piovidod the. three remaining .competitors, H. Rich, W. Manhire, . and G. L. Bull. Another keen struggle, was expected and in view Sm + r . G r ent f?. rtn the tw ofavoured candidates it_ was thpught to be certain that-the Aew. Zealand record of 13min. 26 .2-sscc. " nm' i This record by the way is Bull's, but he was- palpably out' or. form, and pretired- .from tile contest • very farly. Hoalv allowed K,;oh to make the pace for 100 yds., Covered in lmin. 15sec„ but then went.to the front and reeled off the nest hundred in lmin : 24sec., the third 2q,p\ mm ru antl tllo fourth in- lmin; 29sec. ..Champion-swam steadily "from, five to seven vards" behind, and Manhire.- who had started rather, slowly began to dispute Kichs position during- the second hair of' the journey. The race was. always interesting. Champion' maintaining his position, but Healy. swam .as steadily, anil confidently, as e^Gr ' ,1, ® taken, at the completion of each 100 yds varied. very 30sec lmin 31sec.', lmin : 30sec., and lmin>'3Bsec.! and the;,last eighty yards occupied'lmiii.' J-4-yscc..Manhire.,was. 60yds, behind-the champion, and Rich . 10yds further back, but, all four . beat, the standard -losec., the times being, Healy. 12min. 45 2-ssec.,. Champion 12min. 51 2-sseo.,' Manhire 13mm. ,2-ssec., Rich 13min. 55 l-ssec. : Healy s new record is a very good one, and he and Champion were warmly, applauded. Manhire s performance'was especially praiseworthy, as he is little moro than a boy, and by careful attention to training he has made:unusually rapid progress. Breast-stroke swimming : is.nowadays voted tamo; by .many; of -the - but-'the breast , stroke championship race was one "of the most exciting events of . the "day.' Christchurch' provided: all the competitors but one, and he. was not prominent. It had been .whispered that the' holder of the t'tlc, A. M. Russell, would encounter formidable; opposition from W. Cookson.-a young Christchurch .swimmer., who has been . making- . rapid : : progress ; 'this season, and Cookson proved worthy of the expectations, of his. friends. Russell set a strong pace, and twenty yards front homo held a lead of three yards, but Cookson made a fine,effort and reduced-this by half, -Russell gaining the championship for the second time; by a bare; yard and.a half. ' His time, 3min, 29sec., being considerably better than the previous .-record, 'Smin. 40 i-5500.. Cookson (3min. 30 2-ssec.) and Bull (3min. 41-1-5 sec), who wds ten yards behind Cookson, were both inside the'standard (3min. 4osec.). The remaining -championship event of the day- .was the first' round of -the water polo tournament: the teams- being . Swifts Club (Wellington) and Canterbury, No. 1. The game frankly not up to the standard expected in a championship competition, neither team showing the combination that is the sine qua nonof success. Canterbury began well and looked like winning after oho spell had been played, but 1 the weakness of one 'of the forwards in 'handling' the' ball robbed them of one or. two chances'' Their ■opponents, however, made better use' of-their opportunities during the second spell, Will-, mot, Jenkinson,' and Ronayne doing good' aggressive work, - while Evenson in goal and Champion at full back were thoroughly reliable. .The Wellington - team ' won by one goal only, but their display suggested that the practice they had has done them good, and they may be expected,to make a good showing in the •:final competition against the stronger of the Canterbury teams" to-mbr-row. ' Apart from the championship events the programme was thoroughly interesting; Uiristchurch swimmers prevailed in'the interolub handicap and relay races, but Tiniaru scored in the spring-board diving, A. S. Duff winning after a keen competition,- while R Ronayne, of Wellington, won the natatorial high jump, an event which caused considerable, interest, and at times no little amusement. ■ . To : morro\v's. programme will include the 440 yards, 100 yards, and one mile championships, which will-be decided in that order and the meetings between Healy arid Champion will again be anxiously, looked for. Healy should win,the two shorter events- and the'mile race is not unlikely to furnisli the keenest struggle of the meeting.

CONFERENCE OF DELECATES. - IMPORTANT RESOLUTIONS. (by telegraph special CORRESPONDENT.) Timaru, February 11. Following on' a request by the AVellington Centre, a conference of delegates, representing the Auckland, Wellington, Ilawke's Bay, Canterbury, and South Canterbury Centres of the New Zealand Amateur Swimming Association/ was held in Timaru this evening. Mr. W. L. Ludwig, chairman of the Wellington Centre, presided, and Mr. F. j. Dunn, of Timaru', was' appointed secretary. The business.'of the meeting was contained in; three remits from Auckland, which expressed the centre's dissatisfaction with the system of distributing the balance available of tho Government grant, and mado proposals for the holding of tho championship meetings. A resolution was carried that it bo a recommendation to the council that a larger share of th<i Government grant be apportioned to the competitive branch than to the-humane branch. ■ , A. suggestion bv tho Hawke's Bay delegate, was approved, that instead of - distributing

the money among the centres, the council 'shall hold'it in trust for the'encouragement of swimming clubs-and forassisting in the construction of swimming baths. It was decided.to request the centres to consider what should be the number necessary ■ to. constitute a centre, it being agreed that: it was not' right' that a single club should be, a centre.: An amended motion by. the Auckland delegates that the championship meetings extend over three days; with intervals of at. least, one day after each,'day!s racing, vwas .carried.' Tho question of allocating thel9.lo meeting was deferred pending, a discussion ,of : the 1 matter by the delegates from Auckland and Wellington, it being recognised that they had the' first claim. ' '•/ . A resolution was carried affirming the desirability of holding a conference of delegates annually in connection with the championship meeting, the necessary arrangements/toYbe made, by, the contra holding;: the .latter, hot less than two. months' noticei to be given to' the. centre. •* ..