SWIMMING

Wairarapa Times-Age, 16 January 1939, Page 7

SWIMMING

MASTERTON CLUB. EVENTS FOR TOMORROW NIGHT. The following is the programme for the club’s weekly competitions to be held in the Dixon Street baths tomorrow evening at 7.15 o'clock sharp: 25yds girls’ freestyle handicap; 25yds girls' breaststroke handicap; 25yds boys’ breaststroke handicap; 25 yds boys’ freestyle handicap; 25yds intermediate girls’ freestyle handicap; 50yds intermediate boys’ freestyle handicap; 50yds senior ladies’ freestyle handicap; 100yds senior men’s freestyle handicap; 100yds senior open breaststroke handicap; 75yds open backstroke handicap; 25yds open scratch race; 100yds teams of’four relay handicap; girls, boys, ladies and men’s diving events. Entries must be in before 7.15 p.m. The Dannevirke Club will hold its annual carnival on Saturday and local club members will be going to it by bus. A few seats will be available for supporters and anyone interested is invited to get in touch with Mr R. Barnes. The weather of late has not been kind to the club and in consequence there has been a falling off in the attendance of competitors. This is quite understandable in the circumstances, but at the same time officials who give their time to the club are always present on a Tuesday evening unless conditions are impossible and it 1 is hardly complimentary to them or the regular spectators who are the club’s best friends that there are so few competitors in most of the senior events. The foregoing remarks do not apply to the juniors. They are most enthusiastic and punctual, and the seniors could well take a leaf out of their book and imitate them in keenness.

On Thursday night it was pleasing to see Jack Barnes in action again and his presence in future should increase the interest and competition in the senior men’s events. Gil. Gaze is a trier and some success should soon come his way in breaststroke events as he has been improving on his previous performance at each start. There is no keen-er-spirited club member. The junior ranks were ‘increased by two newcomers on Thursday, R. Martin amongst the boys and J. Blennerhassett amongst the girls. Both showed promise and should be soon amongst the place-getters.

F. Sexton scored a well-deserved win in the boys’ dive. He showed more control of run and flight and if he can repeat the performance will be difficult to beat in future. E. Hollings seems to have suffered a temporary loss of form but this no doubt is due to over-keenness and he should soon remedy his leg faults. A large part of the success of club swimming is due to the efforts of the band of officials who voluntarily give their services to the sport. In this connection the Masterton Club is fortunate in having such regular attendee as the handicappers, M. Fly and D. Pauling (who is also a diving judge), steward C. Spiers, starter R. Barnes, doorkeeper A. Dean and programme steward G. Barr as well as several others.