The Southport YMCA gymnast had shared the title with Sam Hunter last year, but made certain of being the outright winner this time with his last routine on vault.

The event was also a selection competition for the World Championships in Tokyo, which is due to take place between October 10 and 16, and Purvis, Kristian Thomas and Daniel Keatings all scored more than 90 points.

In the end, the title was decided on the final of the six pieces of apparatus.

Keatings, the 2009 World all-around silver medallist, who only returned to action recently after a long-term injury, took to the rings and posted 14.800 to set the score of 90.500 for the others to beat.

Thomas, who had narrowly led throughout the day, made errors on the parallel bars and his score of 13.500 was well down on what he would have hoped.

This left Purvis needing a solid vault to take the title and he produced a perfectly executed landing for 16.000 points, the best vault of the day, to make a total of 91.500 and become British champion.

Frank Baines, of Southport YMCA, comfortably took the youth title with a score of 84.200 and also claimed the lion's share of apparatus medals.

Dominick Cunningham, of Earls Gymnastics Club, took the silver with 81.400, just nudging ahead of Jay Thompson, of Exeter, who scored 81.250.

The junior competition was closely fought between Hinckley's William Trood and Loughbrough Students' Harry Owen, the two matching each other across all six pieces of apparatus.

In the end, just 0.700 of a mark separated them, Trood taking the title with 76.750 points. Archie Kennedy-Dyson, of Tolworth, won bronze with 74.300.

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