Loughborough Amherst A-Level pupil Henry Searle has made history after being crowned the Junior Wimbledon Boys’ singles champion, following a 6-4, 6-4 victory over world No.7 Yaroslav Demin.

Searle ended Britain’s 61 year wait for a boy’s singles champion at Wimbledon with a dominant victory over Russian Yaroslav Demin.

The unseeded 17-year-old won 6-4 6-4 in front of a Court One crowd. A larger contingent of supporters sporting t-shirts printed with ‘Henry’s Barmy Army’ sat in the stands, chanting and jumping to their feet with every point Searle won.

Henry’s classmate said, “We have followed his progress throughout the tournament and couldn’t believe it when Henry was playing on an All England Club’s show courts!”

Searle told us, “It’s a pretty special feeling and it’s not going to come too often and I am going to try and enjoy it. It was amazing in front of this crowd today. I’d like to say thanks to my coaching team at Loughborough University, my mum, my brother and all of the Barmy Army here.”

Searle is only the 12th British boy to win a boys’ Grand Slam title and the first since Oliver Golding won the US Open in 2011. He is the first Briton to win a junior Wimbledon title since Laura Robson in 2008 and, most impressively, the first boy to life the trophy in more than half a century.

Julian Murphy, Head of Loughborough Amherst School, said “We are all very proud of Henry Searle for his historic achievement on becoming the first Wimbledon Boys’ Singles Champion since 1962. Henry has shown incredible focus and mental strength throughout the tournament and his performance in the final was simply sublime.

I am also very proud of Ranah Stoiber and Mika Stojsavljevic for reaching the Wimbledon quarter finals. It must be a first to have three pupils from the same school all reach the later stages of the same tournament.

All credit to the amazing LTA National Tennis Academy at Loughborough University for the wonderful work they are doing with these young players. It really does feel like we are on the cusp of a true renaissance for British tennis.”

Several Loughborough Schools Foundation pupils and alumni delivered exceptional performances at this year’s Wimbledon. Current Loughborough Amherst School pupils 18-year-old Ranah Stoiber reached Wimbledon last eight and 14-year-old Mika Stojsavljevic was among a trio of British juniors to make it through to the Wimbledon quarter-finals. Katie Boulter, alumna at Fairfield Prep School and Loughborough High School, is current British women’s number one.