SOPHIE Newbery was given a taste of the big time at the British Senior Gymnastics Championships on Saturday and she can't wait for more.

The 15-year-old Woodhey High School pupil finished 24th in the overall competition on her debut at the event.

She admitted to being nervous before going into the sold-out Echo Arena in Liverpool.

But despite coming up against Britain's top Olympians in front of a packed crowd, Newbery produced a high-quality display to finish well up in a 50-strong field.

"I was shocked when I saw where I finished," said the teenager, who trains with City of Liverpool gymnastics team. "I was worried I was going to be last.

"It went really well. Even though I could have done a few things better I was really happy with my performance and my coach said she was proud of me.

"At first I was really nervous, but once I went into the Arena I just really enjoyed it.

"All those nerves turned into excitement and I can't wait now to do it again."

Newbery's best performance was on the bars, finishing 14th on the apparatus.

And while she was unable to break into the top eight to earn a place in a final in any of the four disciplines (including floor, beam and vault), the Bury pupil will not have long to wait to have a second crack at her routines.

Next up are the English Senior Championships at Loughborough University next month.

"Because the two championships are so close together, most of the girls will be using the same routines they did at the British," she added.

"So my aim will be to try to fine tune mine and make sure I iron out the flaws from the British.

"If I can do that then I have a good chance of improving my finishing place."