RAMSBOTTOM Table Tennis Club's young star Amirul Hussain has retained his place in the England Youth Squad.

The 13-year-old Bury League player, who held the league's senior and junior league titles at the same time, was named in the 19-strong squad following a series of assessments, both physical and technical, held this summer.

He will join the rest of the squad at regular training camps as well as working on individual training and fitness programmes and receiving personal input from national coaches between camps.

National youth coach Matt Stanforth said: “The selections for this year’s England Youth Squad have been even more difficult than ever and we continue to raise the standards of what is expected from the players in order to give them the best possibility of reaching their potential in the future.

“In an exciting change from previous years, each player will develop a periodised programme that is suitable for their stage of development to ensure they have a better opportunity to learn and grow, not only as table tennis players but also as people.

“The programme will not only give them the opportunity to train together but also to train abroad, have access to specialist strength and conditioning on camp, and have an international competition programme to support their needs.

“The ultimate aim is to help each member of the squad to learn and develop their player, athlete and competitor abilities that they need in order to find out what they are capable of in the future.”