Swimming:,

Free Lance, Volume I, Issue 21, 24 November 1900, Page 13

Swimming:,

At a meeting of the New South Wales Amateur Swimming Association, held on Ist inst., Mr W. B. Coates's plunge record of 61ft 64in was approved. Mr Coates is a member of the Enterprise Club. • Mr Gr. J. C. Smart, who deserves great credit for his untiring energy in arranging and conducting the amalgamation proposals, has again been persuaded to accept the secretaryship of the New Zealand Association. Large entries are being received by the Wellington Club for their series of faces which commence probably next week; and some very interesting competitions may be looked forward to. I understand the majority of these races will take place between the hours of 5 and 6 p.m. at the Thorndon Baths. A contest over three distances between Percy Cavill and McCusker (American champion) took place early in September. McCusker won the first distance (440 yds), and in the following distance (5 miles) Cavill had to retire through exhaustion. The American papers now style McCusker "Champion of the World." A recent Sydney paper, however, states that Cavill could not have been in anything like good form, or he would easily have accounted for the American. The eleventh annual general meeting of the New Zealand Association was held in Christchurch on Thursday, the 15th inst., Mr G-eo. Harris occupying the chair. The balance-sheet showed a credit balance of £34: lls Id. The proposals submitted by a committee appointed to confer with the Auckland Association on the question of amalgamation were unanimously carried amidst applause. The Auckland and Southern Associations thus become amalgamated, and the committee appointed to carry out the negotiations was authorised to complete the business. It was decided to allot the whole of the championships this year to Canterbury, and the following distances will be competed for about the beginning of January: — 100 yds, 220 yds, 440 yds, 880 yds, one mile, plunging, and water polo. The location of general headquarters is to be decided by a majority vote on the 30th inst. A London paper, in describing »the 220 yds championship of England, which lesuJted in a dead-heat between F. Y. Lane, of Australia, and Derbyshire, the English crack, states that in the final heat both got away together, and turned at the first lap (25yds) together. -At 50yds Lave, who was rattling things, had a lead of a yard, increasing his advantage to 2yds at the 100 yds turn. Derbyshire now started to sprint, and began to gradually creep up, the spectators yelling wildly. Lane answered Jacky's challenge, and both kept it going right to the end, Dei b^s shire just managing to dead heat. The time recorded (2inin 34 4-ssec), which constitutes a world's record, beat the previous best (lield by Lane) by 3 2 s»ec, showing what a terrific' contest it must have been. The performance w.ts truly a wonderful one, and will probably siaucl as a world's best for some time to come. The tie was not swum off, as there is no rule to that effect, the championship being thus divided.

The Friendly Societies at Johnsonville have placed a special event on their programme on Boxing Day for members of the Empire City Athletic Club, and the Club have decided to supplement the prize with a two-guinea medal to the winner of the event. The Auckland Amateur Athletic Club's spring carnival takes place in the Domain on Saturday next, the 24th inst. Great interest is being shown in this gathering, as George Smith and Roseingrave meet in the hurdles, to decide who is the champion amateur in the colonies.