SWIMMING.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 327, 1 March 1910, Page 7

SWIMMING.

(By "Splodge/') Swimmers have beers well catered i'ov lately. Firstly there were the New Zealand championships, and tiien round about Taranaki sports are the order of / the day. The Stratford Club were unfortunate in the choice of their day for a sports meeting, and consequently it was not the success it. might nave been. I hope, however, they are not discouraged. This evening (Tuesday) the New Plymouth Club are having a small i meeting, when the principal event is the mile championship of the club, the prize for which is the handsome silver challenge cup presented by Mr. James Smith. There is a likelihood of a fair number of competitors starting in the event, ' and I trust that it may be so, as not | only do I like seeing the generosity of j a donor of a valuable prize so appreci- ; ated, but I like to see an interest taken in long-distance swimming. The general opinion is that the event will end in a tussle between Pfankuch and Brown, but A. V. Stohr must be reckoned with, and it may happen that one or two others will show up more prominently than expected. The other events are a boys' 50yds handicap and a 50yds' open ban- i dicap. The following week the club are holding a larger meeting, and have drawn up an interesting programme. Given fine weather, a good evening's sport should result. I should like to see the polo match. East End v. Combined { Beach and West, given an early place ' on tne programme, ior a good poio , match is always interesting to spec- I tators, and I consider that the East will put up a good fight against the combined team. On Thursday, 3rd March, the Inglewood baths will be the scene of what promises to be a successful sports' meet- , ing. The New Plymouth Club will be ' represented by about twenty swimmers, including practically all the club's best j members, and in addition to the local . Inglewood swimmers five or six at least I are going- up from Stratford, and per- j haps' a few from Hawera. I wish the new club every success for its initial meeting. I Reference to the Hawera Club re- j minds me of the proposed Taranaki centre. The Hawera Club have written to the local club's secretary that they i will have ■nothing to do with it, and | so there the matter stands. Now, why i shouldn't New Plymouth. Stratford, and . Inglewood see what they can do without Hawera? If a Taranaki centre without Hawera were formed, I'll guarantee Hawera. would soon join in. I don't wish to sav arp-t'iing against the Hawera Club, but I really think that they are wrong m their opinion of the matter, and I think that a Taranaki centre would be for the good of swimming generally. An instance in favor of my contention: At the cham- ' pionship sports of the centre held at Feilding this month no club north or Hawera was represented, and "Tawe.ra . only sent two representatives. TThy? If you can't guess, just think, | The New Zealand championship meet- ; ing at Auckland has been a great sue- ' cess, and the times in tTie different championship events nave been splendid. The results were that Auckland won three championships I Tier means of M. E. Champion in the 220y<.;s. 440ycts, i and mile), Wellington won two (the 880 yds by R. Healy and the lOOvds' by B. C. Erevberg), and Canterbury won two (the 220 yds breaststroke by Atkinson, and the polo). The races seem all to have been interesting, as they should have been, for all the best swimmers in New Zealand were there. The most sensational event was' the breaststroke championship, which Atkinson won so easily in world's record time. This is the first world's swimming record held by a New Zealander, methinks. The creator, of it is' a boy of but seventeen years, I understand, and he is a swimmer of great promise, for he is very speedy over a hundred yards. He is a member of the Canterbury representative polo team. Grant, of Hawera, the only Taranaki representative, did not get very near j a win in anything, but I hear he had been unwell lately. Campbell, of Wa- • nganui, also competed without success'. , RE. Dodge, of Chrlstehurch, swam very j well in all events, but could not quite ■ get there, so to speak, though be put up a splendid fight in all the races. ( Ih'i fact, all the competitors were very fit, and there must have been about a dozen standard badges won at the least. : The New Plymouth Club is losing a valuable member in the person of Mr. J. Swanson, who is shortly leaving for the Old Country again. During his stay Jierc he has given the club and swim- ; ming generally a great deal of assistance, which has been much appreciated, and the best wishes of all swimmcTS . follow Mr. Swanson in bis future. 'j' The local relay race and polo competi- |' tion have now been completed, the final j race and matdi being between Beach | and the West End. ; In the relay race Beach suffered their i ■first defeat. It was a ding-dong go ■. from start to finish, the Beach at first . takinsr the lead, which was gradually reduced till for the final lap the West End had just obtained a lead, which Bristol increased to nearly three yards. Tins' race was undoubtedly the fastest ; one swum during the competition. The polo match was also very inter- ' esting. In the first spell Beach scored two goals (shot by Hawkins) to one (shnt r by A. V. Stohr) for the West, (' after a scramble round the goal. In ; the -econd spoil Brown and Dixon each added one for Beach, and Laing scored one for West. Beach thus won by 4 goals to 2. Mr. F, Turnbnll refereed impartially. The final result of the competition is as follows: — Relay'Races.—Beach (5 wins. 1 loss), 1: West End (2 wins. 1 dead-heat, 3 looses). 2: East End (1 win. 1 deadhent. 4 los.-'es), 3. Polo—En-t End (fiwfris. no losses), 1: Beach (3 wins. 3 losses). 2; West End (no wins, G losses), 3. j The winners in the polo scored 22 goals as aaainst 11 goals scored against them, so that although they won every game they had to play for the wins.