BASINGSTOKE diver Tom Owens is set to become one of 800 young sportsmen and women to be backed by a Talented Athlete Scholarship Scheme (TASS) grant this autumn.

The 18-year-old is one of the top British juniors in his sport, having only taken up diving in 2003.

Before that, he was a very successful gymnast, until a back injury forced him out of the sport.

Owens said: "I'd been out of competition for a year with a stress fractures to my lower back.

That basically put me out of gymnastics, so I was looking for an alternative sport to take part in.

I was at an awards dinner and the diver Peter Waterfield was there after winning his Commonwealth gold.

I sat next to him and he said I should come down and try diving."

TASS is a scheme designed to make it easier for young people to continue their sporting careers after they have left school. The scholarship will stop the talent of athletes, like Owens, going to waste.

The Basingstoke diver now trains daily at the Quays Swimming and Diving Complex in Southampton, and shares a coach with Waterfield, who recently won silver at the Athens Olympics in the 10-metre synchronised dive.

Owens, who competes in the 3m synchronised dive, said: " The support from this scheme will be really useful. Anything that takes the pressure off at this stage in your career is certainly worth having."

TASS make their scholarships annually for the period August 1 to July 31, and they can continue for more than one year.

Further information for other athletes who may benefit from a similar grant can be found on the TASS website - www.tass.gov.uk