DANIEL Purvis secured a silver medal in the all-around event at the British Championships at a sold-out Echo Arena in Liverpool last night, only losing to GB team-mate Max Whitlock, who set a new gold standard.

Whitlock became the first British gymnast to break the 92 points barrier in an all-around event when he finished with a spectacular total of 92.700 points. It was a total that would have won him gold at the last World Championships and Olympic Games.

He led throughout, going into his final event – the floor (where he won silver at last year’s World Championships in Glasgow) – with 76.750 points.

The South Essex gymnast needed another high score to break the 92 points barrier and he did so with ease, reaching 16.050 points to set a personal all-around best.

But it was also a great night for Scottish champion Purvis, the three-time champion, who may have lost his crown but he surely rubber-stamped his ticket to the European Championships in Switzerland and then on to the Olympics in Rio.

Purvis, from the local Southport club, finished with a total of 89.500 points ahead of Nile Wilson (Leeds) who amassed 87.150.

The 25-year-old, one of the Sunday Herald’s six to follow on the way to Rio, always knew Whitlock would be the man to beat but stuck to the task and did not let his concentration waver. He scored an impressive 15.200 points on his speciality event, the floor, and cemented his silver medal with a solid routine on the rings, his final apparatus, landing at a slight angle but good enough for 15.000 and third equal.

Purvis won the parallel bars with 15.450 points with Whitlock down in fifth, and the Scot scored 14.750 and fifth place on the vault.

He recovered after a shaky start to deliver a clean and impressive routine on the the pommel and record 14.400 points. He was sixth on the high bar (14.700) with fellow Scot Frank Baines taking bronze with 14.900 points.

Purvis is taking nothing for granted and knows there is still hard work to be done in the weeks ahead.

“We all know that every competition is under a microscope now, the coaches are watching every routine and studying every score so it’s now that the pressure builds,” he said.

“I try not to get carried away and look too far ahead; you try to keep focused on each day.

“Training is the key, I’ve been through two Olympic cycles and done lots of competitions so I trust my ability and know if I train well and put the hours in I can perform under pressure, which is important for the months ahead.

“Selection for this year’s team is going to be a massive challenge, there were six of us at the World Championships and there will be five in Rio. The British Championship is a hugely significant event. If I was to get selected, I’d be over the moon and would relish the competition knowing I have experience from London, and so I think I’d be more relaxed and able to perform at a high level – but there’s a long way to go.”

Daniel Keatings, Scotland’s former European champion, suffered a fall halfway through his pommel horse routine, which left him with 13.850.

South Durham’s Amy Tinkler led for most of the women’s competition but fell twice on her final routine, the beam, which left her with a score of 11.650 and cleared the way for 18-year-old Claudia Fragapane (Bristol Hawks) to take the title. Fragapane finished with a record total of 58.100 ahead of City of Liverpool’s Rebecca Tunney (56.350) and Notts’ Ellie Downie (55.250), with Tinkler dropping out of the medals to fourth place (54.700) after her beam troubles.