Two teams of divers travelled from Southampton to compete at the Irish National Championships in Dublin at the weekend.
The youngsters, who all train with Southampton Diving Academy at the Quays Swimming and Diving Complex, were either entered for the Novice Skills events or the Junior Open, depending on their level of experience.
The novice team comprised six divers and came back with a silver medal and all 6 members of the team making the qualifying standard for the English National Skills final, to be held next March.
Liam Gibson (15) took the silver medal with a good steady performance in his first international meet.
Danielle Barnes (13) put in a very convincing performance and was unlucky to miss out on a medal. Taking fourth in the Girls' Group B+ she dived up an age group and comfortably made a qualifying standard for next year's Nationals.
Trying their luck in the Junior Open event the team of ten did well to take two bronze medals in a competitive field.
Both medals were brought home by Catherine Tilling (12) who has only recently transferred into the Age Group squad. On the 3m springboard she demonstrated a particularly well executed reverse dive with tuck, attracting scores of up to 7 from the judges and making an overall mark of 35.1 points. On platform her forward 1 ½ somersaults piked was her strongest dive, again scoring 7's.
Catherine Tilling
Anna Bennett-Britton, one of the three coaches at the meet, summed up the teams' performances: "We were all impressed with how the divers rose to the occasion at a very busy international meet. For both teams this was a new experience but they didn't let that detract from their performances."
Full results:
Novice skills
Brandon Parker, 6th; Liam Gibson, silver; Alice Langdown, 14th; Megan Cornish, 15th; Danielle Barnes, 4th; Kim Luxton, 7th
Junior Open
1m
Danny Appleby, 6th; Jamie Munday, 8th; Connor Oakley, 10th; Luke Jakes, 8th; Charlie Rigelsford, 12th; Alex Thorne, 9th; Catherine Tilling, 8th; Elizabeth Osborne, 12th; Moyra Ferrier, 12th; Beverley Angove, 13th
3m
Danny Appleby, 4th; Jamie Munday, 7th; Connor Oakley, 8th; Luke Jakes, 10th; Charlie Rigelsford, 7th; Alex Thorne, 6th; Catherine Tilling, bronze
Platform
Danny Appleby, 5th; Jamie Munday, 5th; Connor Oakley, 7th; Luke Jakes, 8th; Charlie Rigelsford, 7th; Catherine Tilling, bronze; Elizabeth Osborne, 6th; Moyra Ferrier, 7th; Beverley Angove, 8th