"Swimming Down the Drain"

Once again Vic. had a nominally good Polo team, but once again it failed miserably at Tournament—Why? The team had only three weeks together before tournament and though good individually did not make a good, well-knit team. (In the seven men we had three Freshers and two non-Wellingtonians, because our "A" team throughout the summer was unable to make the trip). That our men were good is borne out in the selection of the North Island team. Auckland, the eventual winners of the Water Polo had four members of this team to out three (Terry Richmond—a reserve for the N.Z.U. team also; Theo Verhoeven and Conor Mc-Bride). Auckland and Canterbury had by far the best teams, each with seven men who had played together all summer. Graham Leach (N.Z.U. Polo captain and only N.Z.U. Polo Blue) and Keith Boswell stood out for Auckland, while Ian MacDonald and Findlay McKenzie stood out for Canterbury. The best game of Polo at Tournament was on Monday morning when Auckland met and beat Canterbury 5-4 in a hard but clean and tactical battle of brain and brawn. Our scores were v. Canterbury, lost 11-1; v. Auckland, lost 12-0; v. Otago, lost 5-3; and South Island won 6-4 against North Island. In the swimming all our competitors qualified for their finals, though not many were placed. Peter Hatch, our star swimmer, went down with 'flu on the Saturday and so was unable to swim again. Bill McCarroll was unlucky to be beaten for first place in the dive and Don Paviour-Smith could only make a third in the hotly contested backstroke. Diana Page was third in the women's dive but our best effort was put up by Stan Paris (Palm. Nth.), who was fourth in the 440, second one! in the 220, and third in the medley, all in excellent times. Fourth places (no points, of course)—well, Vic. had plenty—nine of them in fact. Let's hope they improve for Auckland next year.

In the women's events Otago dominated, Lindley Orbell ('57 and '58 N.Z.U. Blue) won three events and Otago girls were second in two and third in the other. The remaining women's events had Otago girls first and second except the dive which was won by Janet Spooner, of Canterbury.

Men—well the outstanding effort was undoubtedly Aucklander Graham Leach's record breaking butterfly swim (66.4s. for 100). Graham has been an N.Z.U. Blue for swimming and polo at the three Tournaments he has attended (1956, '57 and '58). Ian MacDonald, the Canterbury swimmer and N.Z.U. Blue, won the 100 and 200 breast-stroke and the medley in addition to playing five games of water polo in the two days. Other N.Z.U. Blues went to Fred Strange, of Otago, and Otto Snoep, of Canterbury.

There were fewer N.Z.U. Blues this year as the longer 55 yd.) pool makes the standards harder to reach (the standards were the same as last year's for the 33 yd. pool).

Overall a good swimming competition marred by some irresponsible spectators at the finals—though, of coins, as usual the incidents were exaggerated by the daily Press.

—C.P.