DANNY CROUCH has been crowned national under-14 champion at the Artistic English Gymnastics Championships.

The South Essex Club gymnast, 12, beat rivals up to two years older than him to take the all-around title at the Redbridge Sports & Leisure Centre in Barkingside.

And Crouch’s coach Anthony Wise was full of praise for his performance.

“It is Danny’s first year in the under-14s category and so – at 12-years-old – to win against the country’s best 12, 13 and 14-year-olds is pretty amazing,” said Wise.

“He also got quite a few apparatus medals.

“But it was not just the winning that impressed me most about Danny’s competition.

“He got a low score on vault and then had a really nasty fall off of the high bar, which even scared me a little.

“But Danny got back up, got on the bar and finished off the routine with perfection.

“So his grown-up attitude is what impressed me the most and he dusted himself off and performed even better than ever before.”

And the FitzWimarc School pupil also went on to impress on other apparatus.

“Danny also did an amazing floor routine – which won gold in his age group by a whole mark,” said Wise.

“And it was a score that would have won not just the under-16 and under-18 competition, but also medalled in the senior competition, which is amazing.

“So I am a very proud coach and we are going to Manchester this week to train with some of his British team-mates from up north for a few days.

“That will be nice and relaxed and give him time to recover and get ready for the British Championships next month.”