SOUTHAMPTON Diving Academy sent a 15-strong team to compete in the sixth Croatian Open event in Rijeka.

It was the first time SDA had been to this meet before and there were challenges to overcome.

The squad’s first sight of the pool was only an hour before the synchro pairs competed, and four of the club’s six synchro pairs had never dived together before, even in training.

In addition, the temperatures were also high.

Recently crowned National Age Group synchro champions Nathan Bull and Oliver Cazaly took a silver in Boys 3m 10 to 13 years, with untested pairings of Lucy Hawkins and Evie Johnson and Ashley Burnard and Alex Walton taking bronze in their events in 14+ years.

In the individual events, Leon Baker took gold on both the platform and 3m springboard in the Boys 12/13 years. He also won silver on the 1m springboard against some strong Italian and UK opponents.

All four the SDA squad made the top 10 on Platform with Milo French fourth, Ollie Cazaly seventh and Nathan Bull eighth.

French and Cazaly were also fifth and sixth respectively on the 3m, and French and Bull fourth and fifth respectively on the 1m.

In Girls 12/13 years Platform event, Milly Batten, Dulcie Wilson and Maya Kutty were fourth, fifth and sixth respectively.

Kutty was also 10th on the 3m and seventh on the 1m.

Alex Walton took medals on all three boards in Boys 14/15 - bronze on 1m and Platform and silver on the 3m.

Ashley Burnard dived well on the platform to take fifth with his degree of difficulty lower than the rest of the field. Raw scores would have seen him second.

In the Girls 14/15 years, Evie Johnson was seventh on the 1m, sixth on the 3m and fifth on the Platform.

Sofia Sathio was ninth on the Platform, again with a lower degree of difficulty than many of her rivals.

Lucy Hawkins, SDA’s only diver in Girls 16+ years, was seventh on the 1m, fifth on the 3m and fourth on the Platform.

Bryn James, the youngest member of the SDA squad, was fourth in both the Boys 10/11 years 1m and 3m and fifth on the platform.

RESULTS: Boys 10/11 years : B James 1m - 4th, 3m - 4th, Platform - 5th Girls 12/13 years: M Batten: 3m - 20th, Platform - 4th. M Kutty: 1m - 7th, 3m - 10th, Platform - 6th. D Wilson: 1m - 16th, 3m - 17th, Platform - 5th Boys 12/13 years: L Baker: 1m - 2nd, 3m - 1st, Platform - 1st. N Bull: 1m - 5th, 3m - 11th, Platform - 8th. O Cazaly: 1m - 14th, 3m - 6th, Platform - 7th. M French: 1m - 4th, 3m - 5th, Platform - 4th.

Girls 14/15 years: E Johnson: 1m - 7th, 3m - 6th, Platform - 5th. T Pritchard: 1m - 17th, 3m - 16th, Platform - 12th. S Sathio: 1m - 15th, 3m - 15th, Platform - 9th.

Boys 14/15 years: A Burnard: 1m - 6th, Platform - 5th. A Walton: 1m - 3rd, 3m - 2nd, Platform - 3rd.

Girls 16+ years: L Hawkins: 1m - 7th, 3m - 5th, Platform - 4th Synchro results: Boys Under 13: Bull/Cazaly - 2nd, Baker/French - 4th Boys 13+ : Burnard/Walton - 3rd Girls Under 13: Batten/Kutty - 5th Girls 13+ : Hawkins/Johnson - 3rd, Pritchard/Sathio - 10th