SWIMMING.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 238, 13 November 1909, Page 8

SWIMMING.

(liy "Splodge.") The attendance) at tue oaths is now gradually increasing with Hie wanner weather, though as yet in the morning the teniperatine ot me waier is semo... more than UUdeg., rising lu auoiu o-iueg. during the day. last year ai Uns time it was much warmer. Jt is thus hardly worth wliile trying to get up any r.ui-, hut a start should be mam- o.y ihe end of the month. The. Urenui swimmers have crimed il spring hoard at their bathing hole in the river, and 1 hear that swimming is becoming fairly popular there. u was hoped this year to get some of the Urenui cricketers to join our local swimming club, but as their cricket club has disbanded they will not be in town so often this year. Quite a number of school boys who attend the baths regularly show a fair amount of promise j and some of the older, but non-contesting swimmers, who arc regular attendants can get along at a pretty fair bat. There is one, who only comes down sometimes', but who,, if he developed properly his double splash foot kick, should turn out a fair to medium sprinter. I don't intend to criticise these non-contesting swimmers, but a race between some 01 them witli their various styles of propulsion, would be good sport (especially for the onlookers) and well worth swing. L'hristchurch has a» addition to the "ranks of its swimmers in the person of Dinsnioore, who hails from Victoria, lie was last year champion diver of that State, and a member of its champion polo team. lie was timed to swim .>2 yards in under 3Usocs. a week or two ago in Cliristchurch. The Australasian championships are to be held in -Melbourne from January 2'Jth to February Oth.

fl'lic 220 yards championship of liagland was contested at Manchester on Glh September and, as anticipated, was won by I. S. JSattersby. The time was 2min. 32 4-sscc, which is 4 1-osee. better than when lieaurepairewon at Nottingham last season. It is the second fastest tiino on record for the event, the Australian F. 0, V. Lane's 2miu. 28 3-5 sec. being the best. There is no ipiestion but that Battcrsby is a marvellous swimmer. He is one of the four swimmers who have in the same season won both the 220 yardand one mile cliaiiipionshi|*, the others being Xnllall, .1. 11. Tycrs, and V. E. licaiirepiiire. Tycrs accomplished the feat in four consecutive years, ISII3 lo ISflfi.

The most promising ot t.ho young English swimmers is Willie Foster, of lineup who is vet merely a boy. This yeai ho lini-hed third in Hie mile championship, and was s-cond in the Xorther 1000 yank There seems no doubt that he is the coining champion. The Ladies 1011 yards English chain, pinnship was decided at Bradford on 7th Sep! ember. The winner turned rip ill Miss .T. Fletcher, of Leicester, the holder of the championship, who put up the fust time of 74 sees., and beat lier own record of 77 sees', by 3 sees.

The pimping championship of England was decided at Swindon on Kith, "v-ptcnihcr. W. Allason, holder for the previous three years, won with a plunge of 74ft 2'/.iii. The record is s-2ft 7m., put up in 1900 by \Y. Taylor. Plunging is not much encouraged now-a-davs.

The llnal match for the English Water Polo championship created great interest this year. Tl look place at the Shorediteh Haths. London, on the im.li Sepleinber, between ihe Wigan and the Polytechnic Clubs. The attendance of spectators was one of the largest ever -een in a London bath. Wigan was re presented by a side which was rompose.l entirely of internationals, while their opponents included three on their side. The game was well worth watching, and. after a most strenuous and exciting contest Wigan proved victorious bv 4 goals to 3.