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Supporters pick their Tigers winners

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Top try-scorer Vereniki Goneva has been named Leicester Tigers Player of the Year by supporters.

The first-team squad and coaching team were joined by more than 500 supporters at the annual Supporters Awards Night Dinner, sponsored by DX, at Welford Road on Tuesday.
 
Goneva, who has scored 13 tries in 23 appearances this season and has just agreed a new contract at the club, collected the supporters’ Player of the Year award ahead of fellow nominees Jamie Gibson, Ed Slater, Tom Youngs and the 2013 winner Julian Salvi.
 
He said: “It is a privilege to win this honour. There are lot of big players and very good players at this club, I’m humbled by this award. I thank all of the supporters and my team-mates.”
 
Fly-half Owen Williams was the supporters' choice as Young Player of the Year, while back-rower Jamie Gibson was named Newcomer of the Year after an impressive first season in Tigers colours.
 
Try of the Year, voted for by supporters at Awards Night, went to prop Logovi’i Mulipola for his score against Exeter Chiefs at Welford Road last month.  Click here to watch the shortlist on the Tigers YouTube channel. Or click here to watch the winning try.
 
International prop Marcos Ayerza was honoured by supporters as he received the Outstanding Service Award.
 
Ayerza has made 189 appearances for the club since his arrival from Argentina in 2006, has played in six Premiership Finals and is approaching 50 Test caps.
 
The club’s inaugural Fan of the Year award was won by John Griffiths.
 
Fan of the Year nominations were made by fellow supporters and then reduced to a shortlist of three by a panel of judges, recognising commitment and loyalty to the club.
 
John, who organises travel for the Leicester Tigers Away Supporters Club and is a member of the Supporters Forum as well as being a long-standing season ticket-holder, collected the award ahead of Hazel Churchill and Shaun Gibson who were also shortlisted.
 
The Supporters’ Awards Night also included a presentation to stewards Joy Wakefield, Barrie Wakefield, Phillip Toon and Paul Bowler who have given more than 30 years’ service to the club.

Awards night sponsors DX presented the main honours and also handed over a cheque for £59,000 to corporate charity Scotty’s Little Soldiers, the charity which assists families of men and women killed on service with the British Armed Forces. The money was raised by DX staff's fund-raising efforts which were matched by the company. Nikki Scott, who founded the charity in memory of her husband Corporal Lee Scott, was at Welford Road to accept the donation from DX chief executive Petar Cvetkovic.

Scotty’s Little Soldiers is a Leicester Tigers official charity this season.