A BUMPER crowd estimated to have topped the four-figure mark saw York West beat York East 22-20 in a cracking charity rugby league match in memory of Stuart and Jackie Evans.

The encounter had some excellent support from the rugby league fraternity with greats of the game - including 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 there.

Dubbed the "State of Yorigin", a take on Australia's annual State of Origin humdingers, the match saw players from York Acorn and York Lokomotive join forces on the west side of the river Ouse, with their Heworth and New Earswick All Blacks counterparts doing likewise on the east, augmented by Selby Warriors. Players' shorts depicted the club they represented.

It took place on the neutral ground of Clifton Park, York RUFC’s home, and was refereed by Super League official Ben Thaler.

Morley and Fox joined coach Leigh Paul-Rientoul in the Wests changing room and Hunter-Paul and Radford cajoled the Easts team alongside boss George Elliott - with their involvement making a feature for TV programme Rugby AM.

The Wests - favourites before kick-off - ultimately held out but only after a grandstand finish forced by the Easts.

The opening exchanges were extremely tight as both sides looked to gain the upper hand.

The deadlock was broken on 12 minutes when former Heworth junior Tyler Craig – who has recently left York City Knights to join Kingstone Press League One rivals Newcastle Thunder - pounced on a Liam Gargan chip ahead to put Easts ahead.

Wests hit back after some excellent passing on the short side saw Lokos’ Liam Watling cross the whitewash, Antony Chilton’s goal eking them ahead.

Paul-Rientoul's men by now were getting the upper hand and Joe Porter - a standout forward for Acorn in the past few years - barged his way over from close range on 22 minutes to stretch the lead, Chilton again converting.

On 34 minutes, that man Porter strode down the left hand side and sidestepped the defence for a fine second try to cap a man-of-the-match performance. Chilton’s goal made it 18-4 at the break.

Easts had to score first in the second period to keep the game alive and they struck immediately with a flowing length-of-the-field move which saw wingman Dean Smith on hand to finish off an excellently worked try. Craig added the conversion.

Jack Stuart had the easiest of tasks to touch down Chilton’s cross field kick on 58 minutes as Wests restored their advantage.

But Easts continued to cause their opponents' defence problems and, when Joe Deighton scored from close range on 73 minutes, they were back in the game.

With three minutes to go, All Blacks playmaker Liam Gargan shot through the defensive line to score and, with Craig converting, they were only two points behind.

They continued to press in a pulsating finish, but the West side saw it through to the end.

The event raised money for junior rugby league in York and the York & District ARL, something close to the heart of York RL “legend” Stuart Evans, the long-serving match official, administrator and York City Knights historian, who passed away last month aged 68.