RAMSBOTTOM Table Tennis Club's Amirul Hussain confirmed his place as one of the sport’s rising stars as he lifted the under-13s national title.

The 12-year-old, who won this year's junior and senior titles in the Bury Table Tennis League, was top seed for the event in Preston.

And he lived up to billing, breezing through the group and knockout stages, only dropping a set in the quarter-finals to Peter Smallcombe.

He faced second seed Jamie Liu in the final and, after the first two games had been shared, Hussain turned up the power to complete a 3-1 (11-9, 8-11, 11-5, 11-1) victory.

Hussain adds the title to the u11s crown he won in 2014 and said: “I feel great. I’ve been training every day with my coach and working on topspin, backhand and forehand and being very proactive.

“The England Youth Squad has helped me improve my game as well.

“(After I lost the second game) I needed to change it and not let him get in so I was pushing it wide more.”