MISS LETT LEADING WOMAN DIVERS

Press, Volume XCIII, Issue 27907, 2 March 1956, Page 12

MISS LETT LEADING WOMAN DIVERS

FORMIDABLE REPERTOIRE FOR SATURDAY (From Our Own Reporter) GREYMOUTH, March 1. A new star soared into the lead, ahead of the title-holder and eight other competitors, at the end of the first section of the national women’s springboard diving championship in the Greymouth War Memorial Bath this afternoon.

She is Miss Dawn Lett, of Gisborne, twice previously runner-up to the title and twice holder of the New Zealand junior girls’ diving championship. Miss Lett finished the section of five obligatory dives a point ahead of Miss Jeanette Laws, a fellow-Hawke’s Bay diver, who has won the senior title four times before.

In front at the first dive. Miss Lett crashed badly in her second dive, but lought her way to top points, which she capped on her last dive. Her best performances were a reverse running somersault and a magnificent one-and-a-half somersault with half twist. The reverse dive gained 14.25 points, the best of the day.

For Saturday afternoon, when the championship will be completed with the second section of optional dives. Miss Laws has chosen four dives never before attempted by a woman at a New Zealand title meeting. They are a two-and-a-half somersault in a tuck position; a back one-and-a-half somersault with pike; a reverse one-and-a-half somersault with tuck; and a full, twisting one-and-a-half somersault. The last dive has a degree of difficulty of 2.2 point, which will be the highest in the championship. Miss Law’s fifth dive will be an inward one-and-a-half somersault with tuck. Yesterday Miss Lett’s five dives had a total of 8.3 as a degree of difficulty, compared with 8.5 for Miss Laws, but on Saturday Miss Laws will have a total difficulty degree of 9.7. while Miss Lett will have a degree of 10.6. Miss Janet Spooner (Elmwood), Canterbury women’s diving champion, was in fifth place at the end of the section. Provisional points at placings for contestants in the section are as follows:

Miss D. Lett (Hawke’s Bay), 50 79 points, 1; Miss J. Laws (Hawke’s Bay) 49.79 points, 2; Miss N. Moffitt (Hawke’s Bay). 42.6 points. 3: Miss C. Davenport (Southland). 37.13 points. 4; Miss J Spooner (Canterbury). 36.77 points. 5; Miss H. Zampese (West Coast), 32 79 points, 6; Miss F. Wentzel (Wellington). 32.42 noints. 7: Miss R. Hall (Canterbury) 130.8 points. 8: Miss M. B. Scott (Canterj bury), 28.4 points, 9: Miss B. Johnston 1 (Canterbury), 24.66 points, 10.