SOUTHEND Diving are celebrating success at the ASA national age group championships and the east region diving skills meet.

The club fielded a team of 15 divers at the nationals at Pond Forge and came away with 10 podium positions.

Eight of the squad were taking part in the competition in Sheffield for the first time but produced a string of respectable rankings and personal best performances.

“The National Age Group Diving Championships are an important milestone in the development of our young divers,” said Southend Diving’s deputy head coach Bill Clark.

Echo:

Medals - for (l-r) Rebecca Kirby, Olivia Blower and Dariush Lotfi

“This is where they gain important experience and learn to compete with the best youngsters in the UK, and we are delighted to say that they acquitted themselves really well.” Twelve-year-old Tyler Humph-reys won an Elite Group C silver in the 3m springboard, a bronze on the platform and finished fourth on the 1m springboard.

His perfomrances earned him selection for the Junior International Event in Bimbingamba, Italy. Tyler also won silver on the 3m synchronised springboard diving with Angus Kerr, from Southampton.

Twelve-year-old Max Lano won the Group C 3m springboard for divers aged 12 and 13, beating a Sheffield rival by 0.10 points. Lano also won a bronze medal on the platform and was sixth out of 24 competitors on the 1m springboard.

Echo:

Success - for Ewan Russell and Nadia Todor-Ward

Thirteen-year-old Marney Easen took silver in the girls Group C 3m springboard and was 8.90 points off the gold medal. She was also fifth on the platform and 10th on the 1m springboard.

Jessie Millham, 10, demon-strated great consistency on the platform and 1m springboard to earn bronze on both boards. She was fifth on the 3m springboard.

The 1m synchronised spring-board also saw Max Lano and Hudson Lawrence win bronze.

BOYS’ GROUP B RESULTS: Dariush Lotfi (14), 6th, 9th, 14th. BOYS’ GROUP C (12-13) RESULTS: Ewan Russell (13) 7th, 3m springboard; 11th, 1m springboard. Hudson Lawrence (12) 9th 3m springboard; 7th, 1m springboard; 8th, platform. Vincent Cook (12) 15th on 3m springboard; 10th, 1m springboard, 11th, platform. BOYS’ GROUP D (9, 10-11) RESULTS: Hayden Rayment (9) 6th, 9th, 19th. GIRLS GROUP C (12-13) RESULTS: Sasha Brook (12) 4th, platform; 24th, 3m springboard; 29th, 1m springboard. Nadia Todor-Ward (13) 6th, 1m; 20th, 3m springboard. GIRLS’ GROUP B (14-15) RESULTS: Rebecca Kirby (15), 4th, 1m springboard; 7th, 3m springboard; 10th, platform. Amie Hudson (14), 11th, 3m springboard; 14th, 1m springboard; 21st, platform. Tiggi Whitehouse, 20th, 1m springboard; 26th, 3m springboard; 26th, platform. Olivia Blower (15), 23rd, platform; 28th, 3m springboard; 32nd, 1m, springboard. SYNCHRONISED GIRLS 1M SPRINGBOARD RESULTS: Marney Eason & Jessie Millham, 4th; Rebecca Kirby & Tiggi Whitehouse, 6th; Amie Hudson & Olivia Blower, 8th.

While Southend Diving’s more experienced divers were in action at Ponds Forge, 16 novices from the club competed in the ASA East Region Skills event at Luton.

Southend divers in the girls’ group C – Ceri Ewing (13), Lily Widows (12), and Lexi Bushnell (13) – won gold, silver, and bronze in one clean sweep.

In the same group, Evie Rasch (13), Jessica Burt (12), and Beth Wibrow (12), also took seventh, 10th, and 12th spots, respectively.

Echo:

Southend Diving’s Novice Skills Team

Southend boys in group C saw Ethan King (12) win gold and Colin Longhurst (13) bronze, whilst Josiah Maggs (13) was fifth and Liam Ring (12) ninth. In group D, Noah Allende (10) took a bronze and Lily Maggs (10) was sixth.

Fourteen-year-olds India Joseph-Medel and Samuel Mansfield won a silver for girls and a gold for boys.

In the same group, 15-year-olds Jessica Wellington and Adriana Dvorakova were fifth and sixth respectively. New Southend Diving Head Coach, Shân Veasey, said: “I am encouraged by these results.

“They are demonstrating the range of potential we have in Southend for achieving success at all levels and bodes well for future national and international events and that is what we will be working towards.”