Frances Cramp

When she was 11, Frances Cramp was third in the ASA Girls´ Diving Championships at Blackpool. Two years later in 1960, and three months before her 13th birthday, she became the youngest ever winner of a senior ASA title when she won the one-metre springboard title. Cramp won the one-metre title again in 1967, at a time when she was studying botany and zoology at London University. In-between her two springboard titles, however, she had won the ASA platform title three years in succession, 1964-66.

Cramp competed at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics and finished 14th in the platform event. She subsequently went to the 1966 British Empire and Commonwealth Games and European Championships, with a fifth place at Kingston being her best finish. Following a disagreement with officials over rules at the 1967 ASA Championships, Cramp pulled out of the international against the USA a short while afterwards and was replaced by 10-year Beverly Williams, who became the youngest senior British international in any sport.

Cramp´s older sister Jennifer was also a diver and won the 1956 and 1957 British Universities´ springboard title while studying at the North Staffordshire University, Keele. She probably would have won both titles for a third time but the 1958 event was cancelled because the pool was too shallow!