Matthew Goodfellow dived with the composure of a seasoned professional to take the bronze medal at the National Skills Finals in Stevenage. Matthew performed dives from both the 1m and 3m springboards in the Boys Group B 14+ category. A back 1½ somersaults from the 1m scoring 31 points and an inward 1½ somersaults from the 3m scoring 32 points helped Matthew into third place with a total of 334.3.
Owen Harrison was the youngest member of the Cambridge Dive Team but showed maturity in his competitive approach and was unfortunate not to come home with a medal. A small mistake on the 1m pushed Owen back into fourth place where he had to fight for his final placing from divers from Crystal Palace and Plymouth. Owen performed an outstanding pike fall on the 3m scoring 7.5s out of 10 from the judges to secure a fourth place finish with a total of 237.45, just 3 points ahead of his competitors.
Daniel Murphy also performed well for the boys of the Cambridge Dive Team finishing in fifteenth place in the Boys group C event with a highly creditable total of 245.65.
Alongside the boys, the Cambridge Dive Team also sent a girls team consisting of Pamela Chicken, Florence Simmons, Amelia Brasnett, and Alice Clark. All the girls faced some very tough competition in some of the highest scoring female events seen in the National Skills Finals history. Highlights included Pamela Chicken's almost perfect back jump tuck being awarded 9s out of 10 by the judges, Florence's back fall on the 3m, Amelia's forward tuck roll from the 3m, and Alice's back tuck roll which scored 8s from the judges. The girls dived with poise and grace which was duly noted by both the judges and fellow competitors.
The Cambridge Dive Team coaches were very impressed with the manner in which the divers presented themselves and how they maintained a positive upbeat persona under the stresses of a very difficult competition.
Results are available here (PDF).
Posted 22/04/2010.