Cadet challenge

Amir Hussain . . . four wins in the Cadet Boys’ National Cup. PICTURE by ALAN MANN.

OLDHAM table tennis starlet Amir Hussain competed against the best players in England at the Cadet Boys’ National Cup.

The 12 year old was invited to the tournament in Bristol because of his position near the top of the Table Tennis England rankings.

Hussain, who has played at several age levels for his country, took on the nine other top players in a round-robin event.

Seeded eighth, he won four matches and finished overall sixth. Victories included against fifth seed Jamie Liu (4-1) and sixth seed Jonny McMullan (4-3). The performance against McMullan was particularly impressive as he came from 3-0 down to beat his opponent 4-11, 8-11, 4-11,

11-9, 11-7, 11-7, 11-9. McMullan had previously beaten top seed Ethan Walsh.

Hussain, who attends Waterhead Academy, said: “It’s a good tournament, but I was average.

“My best match was against Jonny McMullan.”