SHAYAN Siraj admitted nerves got the better of him when he competed against the best players in England at the Cadet Boys’ National Cup.

The 14-year-old Bramhope player was invited to the tournament in Bristol because of his position near the top of the Table Tennis England rankings and took on the nine other top players in a round-robin event.

Seeded third for the event, he won six matches and finished in fourth position but was beaten by the top three seeds.

His best chance was against top seed and silver medallist Ethan Walsh, but he saw a 3-1 lead overturned as Walsh won 4-3 (11-6, 6-11, 6-11, 7-11, 11-6, 11-8, 13-11).

Shayan, who attends Leeds Grammar School, said: “I was so nervous the whole tournament and I don’t know why. I can’t really take any positives but I know I need to get more consistency in my backhands.”