A nasty tumble off a bike turned into a happy tale for one young rugby fan.

After 11-year-old Tyce Walmsley fell off his bike, he spent the day in hospital getting his sore ankle stitched up – feeling deflated and downtrodden the entire time.

But from the miserable incident came a treat-and-a-half for the the rugby-mad youngster.

Just hours after the fall, which saw Tyce get six stitches in his ankle injury, Whitehaven RLFC player Jessie Joe Parker sent him a message wishing the “strong kid” a speedy recovery.

He wrote: “I hope little Tyce is okay.

“I know he’s gonna be alright and recover quickly. He’s a strong kid.”

If that didn’t put a big enough smile on the Mirehouse boy’s face, his beloved club went one step further– sending a well-wishing video from his family-favourite player, James Newton.

“The club got in touch to check in on him and ask who his favourite player was, then we got a personal video off James Newton – it really lifted his spirits,” dad Carl Walmsley said.

“I love the club. I think the way they are with the fans is truly amazing, especially the youngsters.”

In his thoughtful video, James said: “From me and all the boys, we hope you’re healing up alright. We heard you’ve had a few stitches so hope they’re on the mend.”

He continued, giving Tyce a big thumbs up: “Stay safe mate, all the boys are thinking of you and we’ll hopefully see you back down the Recreation Ground soon.”

Commenting on the message, James said: “His family have been doing a lot to support the club, and people who do stuff in the community these days for the club are hard to come by.

“[Tyce] is the future – he could be a young lad who supports the club for a lot of years along with his friends, so if a two-minute message from me could cheer the little lad up, it was an easy thing to do.”

Tyce plays for Kells ARLFC Under 11s and Lowca Under 12s, and although his injury has stopped him in his tracks, the sportsman is chomping at the bit to continue with his training as soon as he can.

Carl said: “He’s really missing his fitness training, but I’ve no doubt he will be back fitter and stronger than ever.

“Jessie and Newts are cracking lads, and they don’t realise how much this helped Tyce with his recovery.”

He added: “He looks up to these guys as heroes, and hopes to play at the [Recreation Ground] himself some day.”