With a little help from a furry friend

● Diver Heatly relaxes by walking dog Baxter ahead of his European medal bid

This year’s Commonwealth Games proved profitable in more ways than one for Scottish diver James Heatly. The Edinburgh athlete returned home from the Gold Coast with a well-earned bronze medal but simply making the team brought its own reward – in the shape of a labradoodle named Baxter.

“I had been on to my parents for a while to get a dog, ever since before the Glasgow Commonwealths and it was a case of ‘if I qualify for the Commonwealths I can get one’. Then I didn’t get one,” said Heatly. “So it became ‘if I make a final, I can get one’. It just went on and on. Soon I had to get a medal at the Junior Europeans to get one and I still didn’t get one. I eventually got the dog last year, so perhaps that was qualifying for the Gold Coast which finally got me one. Or maybe that means I’m due another one now!”

If Heatly were to add another European medal to his haul he may be able to apply more pressure, especially as his four-legged friend has proved a hit in helping him relax between events. “Besides diving, all I do is walk my dog!”

Itiswhilehehasbeenwalking Baxter that he has been recognised, with strangers congratulating him on his Commonwealth success and he would love to add to that.

Having put off celebrating his bronze, the first won by a male Scottish diver since his own grandfather Peter secured a place on the podium more than 50 years ago, and placed his 21st birthday celebrations on hold until after this summer’s European Championships, Heatly’s focus is on more glory, this time in front of a home crowd.

“I’m really excited. It is going to be in my home country and home pool,” he said. “You can’t get much better than that.”

Theroyalcommonwealth Pool in Edinburgh is the venue for the diving, which kicks off on 8 August, and it has been a second home to Heatly for more than half of his life. He has dived there since his family migrated back to Scotland from America when he was ten.

Heatly has already experienced the buzz of elite level competition there, in the 2014 Games. A debutant, the teenage Heatly finished ninth in the 1m board and eighth in the 3m board contests, but his aspirations have grown since then. “It’s always great to compete and you always have your team-mates and family and friends who have come to watch but there is nothing better than a home crowd behind you and the Commonwealths here were just incredible,” he said. “The Gold Coast was amazing but couldn’t quite match the roar in this building. Competing here always brings back good memories and the Europeans are going to be another big event and a big home crowd. For me, it really 0 Scotland’s James Heatly gets in a practice dive at the Royal Commonwealth Pool in Edinburgh and, left, his dog Baxter. is home. It’s not like competing somewhere else in Britain, this is my pool, I’m here every day so it’s going to be really special.”

Bronze medallist in the 1m springboard final at the Commonwealths behind England’s Jack Laugher and Australia’s James Connor but ahead of the Jamaicans and Malaysians, he will face a different threat at the Euros as part of Team GB, whether competing in the same discipline or in the 3m event. He said: “You have got the Russians and the Ukrainians, so the quality will be similar and the number will be greater, because there are a lot more countries at the Europeans. We’ll see what happens because diving is a sport where anything can happen. My training is going really well. And I was really happy with the Gold Coast, so there is no reason why I shouldn’t be standing on that podium. I just want to land six dives to the best of my ability and see where that takes me.” Johanna Konta won the all-british battle with Heather Watson to reach the quarter-finals of the Nature Valley Open in Nottingham.

It was a second meeting on the WTA Tour for Britain’s top two female players and, like the previous one in Indian Wells last year, Konta came out on top.

The windy conditions made life difficult for both players but ultimately it was the extra power of Konta, who reached the final here 12 months ago, that made the difference in a 6-4, 7-6 (7/5) victory.

Watson struggled to deal with the Konta return and a single break in the fifth game was enough to decide the opening set. Watson made the better start to the second and led 4-1 but Konta fought back and edged a close tie-break.

Konta said on Eurosport: “It’s never easy to play a compatriot. I just tried to keep my focus on my side of the court. I feel fortunate to come through, there was very little in it.”

The fourth seed, who will face Slovenia’s Dalila Jakupovic next, was the second British player to make it through to the last eight after an excellent win for wild card Katie Boulter over former US Open champion Sam Stosur.

The 21-year-old will play in a WTA Tour quarterfinal for the first time following a 7-6 (8/6), 6-1 triumph and is set to break into the world’s top 50.

Boulter said: “It’s really exciting. It’s a huge step for me. She’s a grand slam winner – the first one that I’ve beaten. I thought I held my nerve really well and found a way to win.”