And when Robbo spotted an eager 17-year-old back row he had to ask "is that Danny my glass collector on the pitch?"

Ryton are coached by former Falcons and England back row Mark Wilson. With a few  huge forwards and some pacy backs they will be competitive following their promotion to Durham and Northumberland One.

It was hard fought throughout - including the sharing of two yellow cards after a skirmish in the clubhouse corner in the closing stages. There were also a few whistles from Revis Phillips as he applied the new tackle height laws, but, thankfully, no dramatic change in the way the game was played.

West got off the mark for the season courtesy of Alex Barker who was having to play at No.8.  After lots of pressure on the visiting line in the opening quarter he managed to pick up from the base to go over - Matt Siddle taking over the kicking duties and adding the extras.

With lots of changes  the  second quarter belonged to Ryton.  But, try as they might, they couldn't force their way past the West defence, with County Under 20's front row Louis Adamson leading from the front.

Ryton did finally get their reward when the sides changed round with a try in the right corner to take the score to 7-5.

Both sets of backs looked to play an expansive game only for lack of match practice to lead to some wayward passes. However, Max Tennant made the most of a pass to Zac Southern which went to ground. The winger picking up on the halfway line, speeding down the left wing before cutting inside to give Sidd an easy shot at goal.

Ryton responded with a try in the opposite corner, which was again too far out  for the kicker,  before Max wrapped things up with another break up the left. Once again he stepped inside the cover to complete the scoring.

Many thanks to Ryton for travelling after Acklam backed out - very best wishes to them for the season.