SWIMMING.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1575, 19 October 1912, Page 12

SWIMMING.

; [By "Splash."]

GENERAL ITEMS 4 NEWS NOTES. Water Polo at Auckland. Ono form of natation which is backward in Auckland, states _ the Sportsman," is water polo. This is not because of a dearth of material for the physique and the speed of Auckland swimmers are superior to the southern standard. Several efforts have been made m 'recent seasons to revive some interest in water polo, but apparently Auckland swimmers have no fancy for the game. Tho common regret at the last two or three iSew Zealand championship meetings lias been Auckland's non-entry in the water polo. A new arrived from England (G. Ihorpe) is throwing in his lot with the Waitemata Ciub, and* arrangements are toJoe made to coach «v dozen or so of this club's most proficient swimmers. Thorpe has several times represented Surrey, a oounty which has always been to the fore in the English water polo championships. •'

Foreign Notes of Interest. The world's 400 metre back-stroke record was broken at Bradford on August 28 by G. H. Webster, of Sowerb.y Bridge, who 'Previously; held it, with ; 6min. 38 2-5 sec ' 'Webster is also the nahonaMsoyds. back-stroko champion.' Swimming very finely and averaging twelve strokes to the iength of 100 ft., he got 6sec. under his previous record, his time being 6mm. 32 2-ssec. ~ On their return from the Olympic Games, the Australian swimmers, states tho New Zealand "Sportsman," stated that T. S. Battersby, the famous English distance swimmer, proposed to settle m Australia. Battersby may have changed his mind after JI. E. Champion left England, but he certainly told the Aucklander that New Zealand was to be his destination when he set out for tho colonies. J. G. Hatfield, the English champion swimmer, who„ is in splondid form this season, gave an exhibition swim at Shorcditoh '(Sydney! recently over 400 metres, and covcred the distance in smin. 21 3-5 sec. Tho New South Wales A.S.A. has passed the following performances as records: Miss Durack, 100 yds., lmin. 6sec.: and W. Longworth, 400 metres, smin. 26 3-ssec.; set up in the 440 yards (a little over 400 metres) championship of Sydney last January. Cecil Healy and Les Boardman are on their way back to Australia. A cable message received last week conveyed tho news that the pair had left London a few days before by the Ayrshire, and were given a farewell supper, which was largely attended by prominent swimmers. Miss Durack's Roturn. . Miss Fanny Durack. and Miss Mina Wylie, tho two crack Australian lady swimmers, returned to Sydney early this month from the Olympic Games. Miss Wylie took part in five events abroad, viz., a 75yds. race at the Bath Club; a 100 metres event at Highgate Ponds; the world's amateur 100 metres championship at Stockholm; and the 100 metres and 300 metres races at Hamburg, Germany, Miss Wylie speaks as highly as did Miss Durack of the German and Swedish girls— Kosenberg and Johansstfn—as exponents of their respective departments of natation.