ORGANISERS of the big East v West charity challenge match in York amateur rugby league are looking at making it an annual affair following the success of Bank Holiday Tuesday's clash.

A crowd figure thought to be of more than a thousand turned out for the "State of Yorigin" game at Clifton Park, with initial estimates suggesting the amount of money raised for junior rugby league in the city ran into "several thousands".

The event was arranged in memory of former York RL “legend” Stuart and Jackie Evans, following the former's death last month. Stuart was a long-serving match official, administrator and York City Knights historian.

It saw players from York Acorn and York Lokomotive on the west side of the River Ouse go up against their counterparts from Heworth and New Earswick All Blacks on the east, with Selby Warriors joining in with the latter. The Wests won 22-20.

As well as fundraising, Acorn coach Leigh Paul-Rientoul, one of the organisers, who also took charge of the West team, believes "Yorigin" can also help to kickstart York & District ARL and its representative team - things that were close to Evans' heart.

"Everyone's thinking of making it an annual thing now," he said.

"Everything ran smoothly, especially considering how quickly it all came about. We'll have more time to plan and arrange it next year.

"We're trying to get York & District ARL back up and running with a representative side. This game could act as a trial game, as well as being a 'Yorigin' contest between East and West."

He added: "The game itself was a real competitive game, as the scoreline suggests.

"We started off a bit shakily but we ran away a bit to go 18-4 up. If I'm being honest, we were massive favourites and I thought we were cruising. But then they just came back.

"It was a great game. If we're going to make it a yearly thing, then it's good to think they'll be close and competitive."

While all of York's four amateur clubs now play summer rugby - New Earswick All Blacks having switched this year from the old winter set-up - Paul-Rientoul felt playing it in Christmas week could work long-term, assuming the weather holds.

He said: "It was spot on. Everyone's off work and everyone came to enjoy it. There were lots of kids there with people treating it as a family day, having a beer and relaxing.

"There were about 1,000-plus people there we think. We haven't got the figures added up yet as to how much it raised for charity but we think it's in the region of several thousand pounds.

"My phone after it finished was going non-stop with people saying what a brilliant day it was and that they couldn't believe we'd put it together in such short time."

Paul-Rientoul also reckoned Clifton Park, home of York Sports Club and York RUFC, was the "perfect venue", saying: "They were brilliant.

"The management staff were great helping us out all the way, and they had volunteers helping on the day.

"They benefit from it behind the bar and we benefit as well so I hope it worked for both parties. There isn't anywhere in amateur rugby league in York that can match those facilities so, with it being a neutral venue for our players, it was perfect really."

Paul-Rientoul reserved praise for the famous names that turned up to make the day extra special.

They included Great Britain legend Adrian Morley, Hull FC coach Lee Radford, New Zealand star Robbie Hunter-Paul, six-time Super League winner Jamie Jones-Buchanan, York-born international winger Peter Fox, and Ikram Butt, the first-ever south Asian to represent England in either code of rugby.

"All the pros were brilliant," he said.

"Adrian Morley and Peter Fox came into the West dressing room and Robbie Hunter-Paul and Lee Radford were on the East side.

"They all stayed for a while afterwards, too, doing a question-and-answer with Jamie Jones-Buchanan and Alex Simmons from Rugby AM. They stuck around to the end, which was great, and hopefully they enjoyed it as well."