Geoff Parling landed the Goldsmiths Player of the Month award for October and said it was a relief to be back playing.

Parling returned to action for the trip to Bath at the start of the month following a lengthy injury lay-off and captained Tigers for the first time for the LV= Cup trip to Scarlets.

His performances earned him the fans’ vote for the Goldsmiths Player of the Month ahead of teammates Julian Salvi and Boris Stankovich. He was presented with a Tag Heuer Aquaracer watch after Saturday’s game with London Irish.

“I am really pleased to accept the award,” says Parling. “It is a big relief to be back playing in October after last year. It’s nice to know that the supporters think I have been going okay.

“The result on Saturday was disappointing but that’s gone and we need to push on.”

The Tigers player of the month award is supported by Goldsmiths, the largest prestige and luxury jewellers in the UK, who are also official East Stand sponsors and official timekeepers.