Teenage Fair Oak squash sensation Kyle Finch is Britain’s new Under-17 champion – at just 15 years of age!

He beat Surrey’s Charlie Lee 3-1 in the Tecnifibre Championships at Manchester’s National Squash Centre, having come from a set down to win the title.

“It’s a remarkable achievement – way ahead of Kyle’s development schedule,” beamed Finch’s Lee-on-the-Solent based coach Tim Vail.

Being crowned British Under-17 champion is just the latest chapter in an on-going success story for the Hedge End youngster, who is in his GCSE year at Wildern School.

Earlier this year he won the Italian title, finished runner-up in the Nordic tournament in Sweden and finished fourth in the German Open.

Last month, he became the youngest world ranked player – 438th – after reaching the quarter-final of the first pro tournament he had ever entered in Leicester.

Having been crowned British Under-15 champion last year, Finch was top seed at Manchester – a ranking he justified with straight-set wins over Surrey’s James Wyatt and Tom Walsh (Sussex) in the opening two rounds.

But he had to dig deep to win both his quarter-final match, coming from 2-1 down to beat Yorkshire’s Stuart MacGregor 3-2 in a tie that took a lengthy 75 minutes to complete.

Oliver Harris had put out Winchester’s Adam Corcoran in a thrilling third round five-setter, but was brushed aside by Finch, who raced into the final, taking a mere 26 minutes to beat the Cheshire prospect in straight sets.

Charlie Lee, ranked eighth, beat the other Winchester teen Robbie Keefe 3-2 in a titanic quarter-final duel.

The Walton-on-Thames youngster took the first set 11-7 off Finch in the Under-17 final and, after the Oaks starlet had levelled the match, went 10-7 up in the third.

But Finch, displaying huge character and no shortage of racket skills, fought back to take six of the next seven points and win the key third set 13-11.

He carried the momentum into the fourth set, winning 11-4 – to be crowned British Under-17 champion.

Away from his GCSE studies, Finch’s key aim for the current season is to make the England Under-19 team and earn selection for the European Championships in Prague next March or the World Championships in July.

England Under-17s are also in action in Portugal in May.

“I targeted a top ten spot in the Under-19 rankings by the end of the season, but things have gone so well (for me) I might make that by the end of November,” he said.

And Finch doesn’t have long to wait before his next two PSA (Professional Squash Association) senior events, the first of which is at Lee-on-the-Solent, on November 20-22, and another next month in Surrey.

Finch has also entered the British Junior Open in January – this is unofficially the world cup of squash as there is no world tournament for Under 17s or younger – and is hoping to finish somewhere in the top eight, but that will depend largely on his seeding.

“I also plan to enter two or three more European tournaments at the end of the season to see if I can regain the number 1 European ranking slot.

“But, this all has to be juggled around by GCSE examinations, which are obviously a priority,” he smiled.