YORK Acorn star Johnny Waldron has been lauded a "little guy with a massive heart" after collecting one of the top accolades in amateur rugby league.

The young Yorkshire flier was named the British Amateur Rugby League Association's open age Player of the Year at the organisation's annual general meeting.

The award follows a season in which Waldron smashed the National Conference League's try-scoring record - lifting it from 35 to 41 - as he helped the Blue and Golds to promotion to division one of BARLA's flagship league.

He was presented the award by York's own Spen Allison, the new BARLA chairman, who knows the little winger from his connections with Acorn and the Yorkshire and York Ironsides representative teams.

Said Allison: "To score 44 tries in a season (including three in cups) is absolutely unbelievable.

"I was pretty disappointed the achievement was not recognised by the Conference itself. He didn't just pip the previous record, he's beaten it out of sight.

"He's a five foot nothing player with a heart as big as a lion. He's very skilful, very quick and his commitment is second to none. He wouldn't be bothered if it was Adam Sullivan (big York City Knights prop) bearing down on him - he would be straight round his ankles.

"He is so into the game he wants to play all the time. He's a smashing lad and a great little sportsman."

The award is traditionally given to BARLA Great Britain players but this year saw a change in the selection process, with Waldron, a former BARLA GB Under-21 winger, being forwarded as a candidate by the Yorkshire committee, and the panel, with representatives also from Lancashire and Cumbria, gave him the nod.

Paul Lumby, Acorn's assistant-coach last season and now team manager, said: "It's a tremendous achievement for a player to break the National Conference try-scoring record.

"He deserves this award. He's been getting progressively better each year and throughout all that time has been scoring tries, even when the team was struggling.

"He's an excellent team player as well as an outstanding individual player. He's got the right attitude and well done to him.

"He will be a player we will be looking to for more big things next season in a higher division."

Updated: 10:58 Friday, July 22, 2005