Two awards apiece for Allen and Ridl

Exeter Chiefs duo Maisy Allen and Campbell Ridl both picked up two awards at the End of Season Awards tonight.

Flanker Allen won Players’ Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year while winger Ridl was also voted Young Player of the Year and won Individual Try of the Season. Both are also in the running for the Top Try Scorer awards.

More than 400 guests attended a glittering ceremony, sponsored by Ludo Sports & Live Lounge, at Sandy Park to celebrate an exciting season for both teams.

Other award winners included Players’ Player of the Year for scrum-half Stephen Varney while and Will Haydon-Wood took home Club Man of the Year.

Club Women of the Year went to captain Emily Robinson while Katie Buchanan won Women’s Individual Try of the Season.

Lastly, Kane James and Louie Gulley were the joint winners of Community Player of the Year.

Former player and Sandy Park’s official events partner Chris Bentos hosted the evening, providing plenty of entertainment amid Q&A sessions with players - Maddie Feaunati, Tom Hooper, Claudia Moloney-MacDonald and Jimmy Roots - and coaches. There were also auctions and games throughout the evening to raise money for the Exeter Chiefs Foundation

Guests enjoyed a sumptuous three-course dinner designed by Sandy Park’s award-winning chef Craig Beacham before ending the evening with a live band and dancing.

Commenting on the season so far, Exeter Chiefs director of rugby Rob Baxter OBE said: “I have been particularly pleased with the team re-establishing a key element of the Exeter DNA which is ‘If you can’t win, you draw, and if you can’t draw, you lose by a point.’

“What this really means is that there is always something to fight for in every game and there is never an excuse to crumble.

“Being competitive in every game has always been the key foundation for me as it leads towards that vital collection of points that means you will be in the fight for the knockout stages.”

Meanwhile, Chiefs Women’s head coach Steve Salvin wrote in the End of Season Dinner programme: “We wanted attacking evolution, but we did want to lose the traditional Chiefs identity of being physical and resilient and we believe we have shown that.”

Both sides have important home games this weekend as the men play Saracens on Saturday (KO 15:15 in a straight shootout for the fourth place and the women look to build momentum against Sale Shark on Sunday (KO 15:30) as they head into the PWR semi-finals.

Club chairman and CEO Tony Rowe CBE said: “The End of Season Dinner is always a highlight of my season as I know everyone here clearly supports this club and I enjoy spending time with people who share one of my biggest interests!”

Full list of winners:

• Community player of the year - sponsored by Bradfords - Kane James & Louie Gulley
• Men's Young Player of the Year - sponsored by Focus Group - Campbell Ridl
• Women's Young player of the Year - sponsored by Focus Group - Maisy Allen
• Men's top Try Scorer - sponsored by Collard Security Ltd - TBC from Paul Brown-Bamboe, Immanuel Feyi-Waboso and Campbell Ridl,
• Women's Top Try Scorer - sponsored by Collard Security Ltd - TBC from Maisy Allen, DaLeaka Menin, Flo Robinson and Alex Tessier
• Men's Individual Try of the Season - sponsored by Otter Brewery - Campbell Ridl - Leicester Tigers home
• Women's Try of the Season - sponsored by Otter Brewery - Katie Buchanan v Leicester Tigers Women away
• Club Man of the Year - sponsored by Relay Engineering - Will Haydon-Wood
• Club Woman of the Year - sponsored by Relay Engineering - Emily Robinson
• Men's Players' Player of the year - sponsored by Ludo - Stephen Varney
• Women's Players' Player of the Year - sponsored by Ludo - Maisy Allen