A YOUNG rugby player from North Yorkshire has been given a top accolade.

Elijah Delaidriti, a year 8 student at Richmond School, has been named as North-East Rugby League under 12 player of the year.

The nominations are taken from the players' own clubs and the awards are hosted by Newcastle Thunder rugby league club, at Kingston Park stadium.

Other member clubs are also required to nominate someone outside their club.

Elijah plays for Catterick Crusaders and throughout the season he has been a mainstay of the Under 12s team.

He plays scrum half and is responsible for guiding the team around the field.

Jason Grant, Club Chairman, said: “This is a job Elijah does extremely well and has a high level of skill. When he has got the team on a roll going forward he will use a combination of strength and skill to exploit weaknesses in the defensive line to either create tries for his team mates or score them himself.”

Elijah has been playing rugby since he came to England six years ago. As well as being a key team member of Catterick Crusaders over the last six years, he also plays for Mowden Park’s Under 13s in Darlington and the school team.