SWIMMING

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1396, 23 March 1912, Page 12

SWIMMING

[Br "Ociorrs."]

The New Zealand Swimming Council decided ,ou Tuesday night to pass Champion's record's for tho 220 ■ and > ■ 880 yds. events made at C'hristchurch.last month, and also those for the -1-lOyds. ami mile events made at Auckland in .Uneomber. Jliss O'Leary's 100 yds. tune of B(isec. was also accepted. • ■ • ■ Swifts Carnival.■• •' •- ■ The Swifts Club t were in the unfortunate position of having to raise a.sufficient sum to clear off the debt incurred by the ladies' branch. As sometimes happens in such cases they succeeded only in getting deeper rinto debt.'; l-'or" ' one thing the gala was not • sufficiently advertised, and if had' to Compete against a rival attraction- at Newtown Park. The day was' bright, but just now thero is always a "nip" iu the air and the water is cold, Tlio racing was not well managed,"so'that combined".with a certain tack-.of enthusiasm-at-this time of the year,"6no ciiu well'understand that the spectators were not carried into tho higher flight of excitement. The mile championship of the club was .billed as the big,performance for. the day. This would probably have been a very' even race between •Sfurrcll and Newman, but for ,ths fact that Newman's teeth Wfre troubling him to such an extent that li 9 .had to leave the water, at 400 yards. At this stage Newman had a slight advantage, but it was not suffic:'ont to give any indication as to tho ultimate result. Murrell's time—2Bmin. Usee—was good, considering that for a. good distance he was vmp.-vced. Newman will be a great "acquisition to Wellington swimmers later on, as he is young yet, and is bound to improve a great deal. Already he has been considered good enough to represent Otago at the New Zealand championships. The proceedings.opened with.tho usual sflyds. handicap in. which all the best of the handicap performers were engaged. Robertson and; Blick wero'.iirst and second respectively in tho second heal, and nlso finished.in .that .order, in. the .final. The winner is a rapidly-improving swimmer with just the necessary amount of luck to got in a win occasionally. In Ladies' Bracelet, lUUrath,-- swimming well,. won the second heat and the final, winning rather easily from Mul;lin.s and Blundcll. Xlullins has .been get-ting-a lot of places without" actually getting the big prize for any race.

A Great Finish?;'; ::; -'.; ":V The 220 yds. race produced one of the .best finishes saen ut 'J.'e Aro-ior a long time. Contrary to his usual practice, Jiricp took part in a middle-distance event, being, of course, thelscrateh man. Seventy yards-from'home it was .Mien that Paul Stratford would probably bo first home, but lirice was seen to be gaining fast oil his field and (joint' w?!l. At two hundred yards the lipid had ciosed up considerably, and people began to bo prepared, tor. V clos'o finish;. Even after the race was over, and before the result was announced, ovor.youo was asking his neighbour it' - lirice" hart managed to get up in time. I'aul Stratford is not so well known as his brother, but he has all the natural qualifications for a,swimmer and should do. well if'.he* perseveres. He is much better known' as a polo plavcr, having represented Wellington- at "the last ehampionships'in Chrislchurch. The Schools.Champion. . '" As"expected tho'-Te Aro. School crock, MTarhe, again proved his superiority over (he other boys of his age; by winning each distance, of the championship. He is .probably thebestin Netv Zealand for his age.: and .ought to. be a really fine swimmer when lie gets a little bit older. The diving was poor whole; tho only one to make "a. creditable showing being the winner, W. Hicks.

The' Polo Final.-• '"'/" f On Wednesday night the Wellington and Swifls Clubs-got to grips to decide the fate of, the-polo championship for 1911-12. (in tho occasion of their first meeting same weeks 'ago the nialch.resulted in n draw, three, goals each. Jenkinson and • Dingle were absent from the Swifts, and Hridgo from Wellington, so. matters wero even on tho score of defections. Tnis question makes one wonder how, in common fairness, the Swifts considered Newman eligible to play. lie has previously played for the Old Boys, so he should surely bo debarred from representing another club this season. However, Wellington thought they could win, anyway, so no protest'was entered.' Bridge was replaced by Little and Dingle by Woodcock. Bight- throughout the gamo Wellington had, the.upper..hand, though" they managed to score only one goal in the "first half —through the agency of Paul Stratford. The game was decided when Paul Stratford was given a penalty shot from which ho made no.mistake. Thereafter, it was only a matter of time, hut Stratford scored a couple more before the water nll'ected certain of the Swifts players to sjich an extent that they had to leavo with still half a minute to go. After sorofVliscussion Wilton and Morpeth agreed to (loclare Ihe game finished with a .'win for Wellington. The game did not start till about li.ln p.m., so had to be .finished in the twilight. Smith was the test man in tho game, while Xewmnn and Fordham wore the bast of ,tiio other Swifts. For Wellington Stratford, Kelly, Morpeth, and Gosling 'alp played .fine games.' . • Thus endolh-the season;l9ll-ini2. Sergeant Tippins, a Mnnninstree Territorial,'gu>'e a clever display of shooting nt Ihe pri'/.o distribution. Alter knocking the ash oil' ii. cigar smoked;. another Torriltjiial, he exlioguhdied a number of caiidli'? in quiok succession, and severed a string, causing tho wonh "st|j Eese.i — ttc<>ad to aon»" U> npp&w.