SWIMMING.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 318, 18 February 1910, Page 8

SWIMMING.

NOTEiJ. (By "Splodge"). , The interest of swimmers centres chiefly in the New Zealand championships to be commenced at Auckland to ,morrow (Saturday). A'lost of the best known swimmers from the various centres will be represented at the meeting. R. Healv is representing Wellington and B. C. ("Tiny-} Freybrrg will also compete. Freyberg last week won .the 100 yds championship of Wellington in 04sec, beating Healv by a full yard, a result which rather surprised many of the knowing ones. . Canterbury will probably be represented by the greatest number of swimmers. Some sixteen '•- seventeen :t Jeast from Christchucch will compete. A representative Canterbury polo team is being sent up at the expense of the centre. The team which has been selected is the cause of much adverse criticism. But whatever the criticism the team selected is a "prettv hot" .crowd. For myself. I think that the one team that would, cheek them is the team we were going to send from our own little seaside resort.

That brings me to the one subject of discussion in swimming circles. The failure of the club to send a team to Auckland is much, regretted. The te : >ivV .selected was, like Canterbury (it's perhaps only my own opinion, I was going to sav, but it isn't), "pretty hot stuff.'' I was talking to a certain gentleman who in another province is fairlv interested in sport g°nerally. He had heard talk of this polo team. "Whv can't thev go?" their bosses won't let one or two." Reply: "T thougm a fellow in Taranaki who wanted to arat off for a week for any fair, legitimate snort had only to say so." "It doesn't appear so." said T—and so it is. For myself, T might state, if I had an employee who wanted to help to advertise this little town of ours and asked for a week to do it in—well. I'd send him off. Tf I didn't I know I'd advertise myself, hut it wouldn't he the sort of advertisement I'd be after. • I would not risk it and I take rfslcs in generalinstance, take the races!

I noticed in a Christchureh paper the other day that Atkinson, who represents Canterbury in the 220 yds breaststroke" championship at Auckland, has been credited with doing the distance in 3miu Usee. If he can do so he can break the world's record for that parti--eular style. The world's record for the 220 yds breast-stroke is 3min Usee, .put up by P. Matson. of AVestralia, two years ago. My best wishes to Atkinson, anvwa.y. though I wot of onp I ken whom I'd like to see up "agin" him.