It had been 24 years since Annabel Croft was the last Briton to win the Wimbledon girls crown but on July 5 2008, that all changed.

Laura Robson, unseeded and on her debut at the All England Club, beat Thailand's Noppawan Lertcheewakarn 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 to lift the title and, at 14, become the youngest winner since Martin Hingis in 1994.

Robson's monumental success saw her achieve more glory this afternoon when she was named the MCC Young Sportswoman of the Year at our awards.

Like swimmer Eleanor Simmonds, Robson was unable to be here to receive her trophy because of school commitments.

But her success back in the summer was replayed to all.

She had played in front of 12,000 spectators, the biggest crowd of her life, and a live BBC television audience of 4.5m (one million more than the Williams sisters’ Ladies final).

It was a day she will never forget.

She said: "It was so good today as all the crowd were behind me and it was an overwhelming experience. I thought I was going to be sick when I walked on court as there were so many people watching.

"In the second set I went a bit mad but I got it back together and that is how I won.

"It's weird seeing yourself on the front page of every newspaper, and seeing yourself on television as well as making quite stupid comments."

Robson, who was born in Australia and spent the first six years of her life in Singapore, lives close to the All England Club and this triumph was just the start.

Last month, she reached the final of the Australian Open but this time she was beaten 6-3, 6-1 by Russian Ksenia Pervak.

Success returned today and an exciting summer lies ahead for this young star.

Also nominated: Rachel Atherton (Mountain Bike), Holly Colvin (Cricket), Kirsty McWilliam (Triathlon) and Zoe Smith (weightlifting).

Presented by: Jon Robinson (MCC’s Assistant Secretary and Head of Sales Marketing).