TOM DALEY is rated doubtful ahead of this year's British Gas Diving Championships, which gets underway in Sheffield this Friday.

World champion Daley is suffering with a back injury and is rated '50/50' by his Plymouth Diving and Great Britain coach Andy Banks for the three-day dive-fest at event at Ponds Forge and runs from June 25-26.

Daley will travel to the South Yorkshire event today with his Plymouth team-mates and fellow international stars Tonia Couch and Brooke Graddon.

Up for grabs are qualifying places for this year's European Championships in Hungary and Commonwealth Games in India.

Banks, though, said Daley's injury was 'not too serious' but could rule him out of the men's 10-metre platform competition.

"It's something we'll need to keep an eye on, but it's not serious, just a pain for Tom," said Banks.

"Tom's been carrying the injury for a while, but we've had him checked out by a specialist and he's had a scan on his back, which hasn't thrown up anything to worry about.

"So, we've covered all bases with him (Daley) and we'll make a decision about whether he'll compete later in the week.

"If he doesn't dive in the 10m platform, it might still mean he can compete in the springboard event, as that doesn't put such a strain on the back."

Banks added: "But Tonia and Brooke are gung-ho and in fine fettle and so Plymouth will have their usual top-drawer presence at the championships.

"They are both competing in the 10m platform, events and Brooke is also competing with Sarah Barrow, who is now at Leeds Uni, in the synchro.

"And we'd hoped to be taking one of our promising young athletes Ashley Hendrick, too.

"But we decided against it, as Ash has been in a lot of competitions recently and, like Tom, is carrying an injury."

Olympian Daley's running order includes the 3m platform (on Saturday 26) and, all being well, the 10m on Sunday (27).

Couch, meanwhile, is in the 10m individual (on Saturday 26) as is Graddon and Barrow. Daley's 2008 Beijing Olympics team-mate Couch is scheduled to dive along with fellow Plymothian Barrow in the women's 10m synchronised events where their main rivals for places on the plane are Stacie Powell and Rebecca Gallantree.

Teenager Hendrick underlined his talent and potential with a bronze-medal winning performance at the junior diving championships at Leeds at the beginning of June.

Hendrick, one of the first athletes to benefit from the Herald's sporting scheme Making A Difference was one of several Plymouth Diving youngsters at the event.

Also diving were Matthew Dixon, Kayleigh Sinclair and Jenny Bunsell.