A TEAM of nine youngsters, eight of whom train with Southampton Diving Academy, picked up one gold and three bronze medals in Graz, Austria in the international diving meet of the GAK-Wasserspringen club.

The British squad took fifth position in the team event against teams from 12 countries across Europe, many fielding members of their national squads.

The first two days were held in blazing sunshine but the third saw torrential rain.

The British star was Christopher Farrow, 12, who repeated excellent performances at the National Championships and won two medals. His best result was the gold medal on highboard.

Anna Bennett-Britton, 15, also did well to take bronze on highboard in a strong field.

The third member of the team to take a medal was Jack Clewlow, 14, who took bronze on the highboard and was unlucky to miss a medal on the 3m board.

Experience gained in diving in an outdoor pool will be invaluable for members of the team who go on to represent Britain in the future. The youngsters were supported by Christian Brooker, a coach with extensive experience of outdoor training and competition who has joined the club from Australia.

He said: "I have been very impressed by the consistency of their performance. Results:

1m: Anna Bennett-Britton, 8th; Kim Purkis, 9th; Chloe Hendy, 7th; Dayne Mulford, 9th; Jack Clewlow, 5th; Steve Appleby, 6th; Adam Purkis, 14th; Christopher Farrow, bronze. 3m: Anna Bennett-Britton, 6th; Chloe Hendy, 9th; Dayne Mulford, 6th; Jack Clewlow, 4th; Steve Appleby, 5th; Adam Purkis, 15th; Christopher Farrow, 4th.

Platform: Anna Bennett-Britton, bronze; Jack Clewlow, bronze; Adam Purkis, 8th; Christopher Farrow, gold.