BURY Table Tennis League champion Amir Hussain has become one of the first young players in the country to receive a slice of more than £5 million of National Lottery funding set aside to support the sport's stars of the future.

The 12-year-old Ramsbottom Table Tennis Club member has been given one of Sport England’s new Backing The Best awards, which includes a bursary of up to £5,000 per year to help cover expensive costs such as travel, accommodation, nutrition and medical bills.

Amir last month became only the third player in the 84-year history of the Bury and District Table Tennis League to win both the juniors and open singles titles.

Keith Warrington, founder of the Ramsbottom Table Tennis Academy, helped hone Amir's talent as a junior.

He said: "I remember seeing him as a seven-year-old and he was good then. I know his family has made incredible sacrifices to give him the best opportunities in the sport, and with the dedication he has shown this award is well deserved."

Amir has been coached and encouraged from an early age by his dad Khamal, who also plays for Ramsbottom.

He has twice attended training camps in China alongside some of the world's top players and has recently been awarded a scholarship by Table Tennis England, opening the way for a future place in the national team.

The Backing the Best award is designed to help Amir and his family pay for his progression through the national junior ranks and hopefully into the senior team.

It is administered by SportsAid, a charity that helps the next generation of British sports stars by giving them financial support and recognition during the critical early stages of their careers.

Amir, along with 12-year-old Jasmin Wong, of Hull, are the first two British table tennis players chosen for the bursary.

They had to demonstrate outstanding ability to be eligible and also show that, because of their family’s financial situation, they might not have got the opportunity to fulfil their potential without it.

Simon Mills, Table Tennis England’s head of talent and performance, said: “We are delighted that Sport England and Sports Aid have awarded two of our up-and-coming players additional support through the Backing the Best campaign.

“This will enable them both to do things that previously would have been beyond their reach and we look forward to working with each athlete to use this support as effectively as possible.”

Phil Smith, Sport England director of sport, added: “As well as encouraging more people to play sport and be active, Sport England’s job is to help identify and develop talented athletes. But being talented can be expensive, as the cost of travelling to competitions and the essential coaching needed can mount up.

“Backing The Best has been designed to give a helping hand to those who need it – so that ability and attitude are the only criteria for success, and not money. Ultimately, we want our national teams to be truly representative of our country, rather than just those that can afford to reach the top.

“We are incredibly proud of our first group of athletes; they are an inspiring group of young people that deserve to be recognised for their talent and dedication.”

While Tim Lawler, chief executive of SportsAid, said: “It’s going to be fascinating to see how the first cohort of athletes grow and develop over the next few years – we really think Backing The Best is going to be a game changer for sport in this country.”

Amir showed his promise at the recent Cadet and Junior National Championships in Huddersfield.

He upset the odds to win Cadet (under-15s) doubles silver, knocking out the top seeds with partner Sam Chesterman in the last four before eventually losing 3-0 in the final. Amir also made it to the quarter-finals of the Cadet singles before losing 4-1 to top seed James Smith.

The event is for the 32 top-ranked players in the country and Hussain also qualified for the under-18s Junior singles, but was eliminated in the group stage.