Tommy Mather

Tommy Mather started diving in the famous Highgate “Ponds” with its revolutionary purpose-built diving tower, and joined the Highgate Diving Club. He was selected for the platform event at the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics, but failed to make the final. He won both the Amateur Diving Association’s (ADA) plain and fancy diving titles three years in succession, however, from 1929 through 1931. His national titles dried up after that, but in 1934 he won the British Empire Games platform title by beating fellow Englishman Doug Tomalin in a great contest, with Mather winning by a mere 0.2 points.

Before the outbreak of Wold War II, Mather was the secretary/manager of the Jersey Swimming Club but, after the War, returned to England and was appointed manager of the St. Leonards Bathing Pool, where he competed many times before his move to the Channel Islands. He was also a diving referee, in addition to being the one-time diving secretary of the Sussex Amateur Swimming Association. Mather also attracted attention worldwide through his articles in The Swimming Times, advising on the use of trampoline-training for divers. He came out of competitive retirement at the age of 48 in 1957 to compete in the Sussex Platform Diving Championships. Also competing that day was his 13-year-old son, Tommy junior, who went on to beat his father and become the youngest ever winner of the title.