TOM Daley is a 14-year-old boy. Blake Aldridge is a 26-year-old man. Unfortunately for the British synchro diving duo, there were two children on the 10m board on Monday morning.

It's easier to forgive young Daley for the pair's disappointing performance in the Olympic final - after all, he is only 14 and has burst on to the British sporting scene in a flurry of flash bulbs and over-hyped newspaper copy.

It's tougher to excuse Aldridge, however, after his astonishing outburst following Monday's final, which saw the duo finish in last place.

While Aldridge's birth certificate may say 26', the Southampton diver's comments to the media smack of a spoilt brat nearer Daley's tender years.

"I didn't blow anything, so I can go home happy," Aldridge bragged on Monday afternoon.

"Unfortunately it's a partnership, you both have to be on the top of your game. I wasn't on top of my game but Tom was nowhere near the top of his."

So far, so pathetic. But it got worse when Aldridge moved on to the pair's supposed spat between dives five and six of the final.

"There was a little incident but it is an Olympic Games, you are in a different world and people are going to do things differently," Aldridge continued.

"He (Daley) had a pop at me before the last dive. I saw my mum in the audience and I asked her to give me a call and Tom went to me, Why are you on the phone? We're still in the competition and we've got another dive to do'.

"That's just Thomas - he's over-nervous. Thomas should not be worrying about what I'm doing but he was worrying about everyone and everything and that to me is really the sole reason why he didn't perform."

Aldridge did manage to get one thing correct in that concoction of bitterness - Daley SHOULD NOT have been worrying about what he was doing.

But it appears he was forced to after Aldridge decided the pair's last dive in an Olympic final was slightly less important than speaking to his mum. Bless.

Imagine, if you will, one of Kevin Bond's Cherries players telling the manager in the dying minutes of a 0-0 cup tie, Sorry, gaffer, can the penalty wait? I just want to give the old lady a quick buzz to see what's for tea in the hotel'.

You couldn't make it up and Aldridge should take some spelling lessons. There is no I' in team, Blake.

It's true that Daley would have been made plainly aware of the pressure surrounding Olympic competition and many would argue that, age notwithstanding, he should not be in Beijing if he cannot handle the heat.

But the unwritten rule of team competition in any sport is: You don't blame your team-mates in public. The fact that Daley is nearly half Aldridge's age just makes the latter's behaviour worse.

Regardless of his team-mate's sharp talking, however, Daley simply added that both he and Aldridge were well below par and that he was grateful for the experience gained from being on the Olympic stage.

Aldridge, probably with more than a hefty shove from the British Olympic Association PR machine, is clearly now regretting his mouth-first-think-later approach, but it is often said that a person's real feelings come out in the heat of the moment.

And considering the bright future that lies in front of Daley, the Plymouth lad would do well to find another synchro diving partner for London in four years' time.