Headlined by the Club of the Year and Spirit of Rugby awards, Scottish Rugby’s annual awards evening for club rugby ran on Friday 23 May.

About 150 people representing clubs all over the country attended the evening, enjoying a three-course meal and celebrating some of the many community rugby heroes Scotland boasts.

Edinburgh Rugby and Scotland internationalists Ben Muncaster and Matt Currie took some time to chat to Caroline Blair, who hosted the night, in a Q+A format.

Top winners on the night included Strathmore RFC for Club of the Year, and Irvine Rugby Club’s Allan Wilson took home the Spirit of Rugby award.

Full list of winners on the night:

National Young Person Award – Ruiraidh Porteous, Bo’ness Rugby Club

Ruiraidh was a mascot for Scotland at Murrayfield in the 2019 Men’s Six Nations. He’s excited that in a football mad town, there are more and more rugby opportunities for kids. HIs enthusiasm has inspired many classmates to take up rugby.

Ruiraidh has made remarkable contributions to their rugby club, school, and the wider community, inspiring many through their dedication, resilience and leadership.

Ruiraidh has been described as a cornerstone of Bo’ness Rugby Club. Volunteering tirelessly despite being only 16 years old. His roles at the club include: youth coach, SRU first aider, and a qualified referee; he helps to run school holiday camps, tournaments, and weekly training sessions.

Volunteer of the Season, Youth – Emma Forbes-Hayes, McLaren Rugby Club

Emma loves the versatility rugby offers, as anyone, any shape, any size, can play and enjoy the game. Emma’s made life-long friendships through the game and is now giving back at McLaren – her local club.

Emma’s proudest moment in rugby is being in a position now to give kids the opportunity and experiences that rugby has given Emma. Playing, going on tour, attending internationals, meeting players, and making lasting friendships.

People at McLaren describe Emma as a stalwart, serving there for over 10 years since her eldest joined the minis, with another child still playing there. Over her time at McLaren RFC, the number of female coaches has doubled.

Volunteer of the Season, Schools – Ken Richardson, Linlithgow Rugby Club

Ken has many special rugby memories, including being at the 1990 Grand Slam match, and refereeing a match in France in which all three of his sons were playing in.

Ken’s story is one that will be so familiar to many. A parent on the sidelines of his kid’s mini rugby match, convinced into minis coaching, and within a year – mini rugby coordinator.

Ken’s contribution to schools saw a huge recruitment drive for the School of Rugby, more than doubling the number of S1 pupils engaged in the sport locally. He’s also strengthened the foundations for a future girls rugby programme, and his goal is to have regular girls fixtures added to the calendar.

Volunteer of the Season, Adult – Andrew McOuat, Blairgowrie RFC

Andrew has been a vital cog at Blairgowrie for many years, serving as a player, captain and committee member – and was instrumental in the rise of the men’s team through the ranks.

Beyond the field, as membership secretary, Andrew has consistently increased membership numbers, devised new ways to attract members, and assisted with various committee duties. His ability to connect with everyone who comes to the club makes him one of the first to welcome new members, whether they are players, visitors, or opponents.

Andrew led Blairgowrie out onto Murrayfield in 2017 for the National Bowl final. Beyond his playing role, he has been a dedicated committee member for as long as he has played, also initiating the Touch Rugby for All program during the summer months.

Andrew wasn’t able to attend on the night.

Community Match Official of the Season – Victoria Lindsay-McGee, Borders Rugby Referee Society

Victoria is a great example of getting stuck in. She loves our complex, challenging sport, with so much left for interpretation. Victoria’s belief is that rugby is a sport for everyone, whether you’re fast or strong, tall, short, new to the game or highly skilled. She loves the passion that people have for our sport and the values we hold.

One of her proudest moments in refereeing was during a girls U18 game, played on her birthday last year. One of the coaches realised it was her birthday – and the girls surprised her with a cake after the game and sang happy birthday.

Victoria not only picked up the whistle, but got her husband into refereeing too. Now, they call each other from the car after their respective games every Saturday and tell each other how they went. She was very proud to be selected in December to assistant referee both the girls U16 and U18 cup finals on Youth Cup Finals day at Scottish Gas Murrayfield on the big pitch.

Men’s National League Player of the Season – Jack Utterson, Kelso RFC

Scotland U20 internationalist Jack Utterson has had a season to remember, playing for his country and for the Borders side.

He helped Kelso to survival in the Arnold Clark Men’s Premiership by six points, staving off attempts from Marr and Edinburgh Accies.

Women’s National League Player of the Season – Adelle Ferrie, Corstorphine RFC

Adelle has not only been a standout in the Arnold Clark Women’s Premiership this season in the back row, but off the back of her performances for Cougars, she was also selected for Edinburgh Rugby in the Celtic Challenge.

Rounding off an astounding season was a phone call from Bryan Easson, calling her up for a well-earned debut for Scotland in the Guinness Women’s Six Nations against Wales in March.

Unfortunately, Adelle couldn’t join us on the evening.

Men’s Regional Leagues Player of the Season – Duncan Arthur, Hillfoots RFC

Duncan is a player who was praised for their consistently outstanding individual performances for Hillfoots this season.

His award recognises the key role he played in the club’s survival in Arnold Clark Caledonia Midlands Region League Division 2, where he led his side to a fourth-placed finish with 10 wins from 16 matches.

Unfortunately, Duncan couldn’t attend on the night.

Women’s Regional Leagues Player of the Season – Kayleigh Warrick, Annan RFC

Kayleigh – the women’s regional league player of the season – is a player who has had an excellent season, culminating in Silver Saturday silverware, winning the Women’s Plate final for her side against Garioch.

She not only played in the final, but scored a try in the 34-24 win, taking the plate back home with them to the south-west.

National Leagues Match Official of the Season – Chelsea Gillespie

Chelsea is a referee whose relentless competitive streak drives her to continue refereeing at the highest levels of rugby.

Starting her journey with the whistle at age 15, initially refereeing other sports, she soon followed in her father’s rugby footsteps.

Some season highlights for Chelsea saw her appointed Assistant Ref twice in the URC, three times in Women’s Internationals; two games in the middle for Celtic Challenge matches; and held the whistle eight times in this season’s Arnold Clark Men’s Premiership.

Men’s Try of the Season – Lewis Howick, West of Scotland

Lewis Howick finished off a beautiful team try for West of Scotland during the club’s regular season. His try was voted the best of all those shortlisted throughout the season.

Unfortunately, Lewis could not attend the evening.

Women’s Try of the Season – Kiyomi Honjigawa, Corstorphine RFC

Kiyomi Honjigawa’s grand-final-winning try was named try of the season. Fresh from the sin bin, and with Cougars trailing Stirling County 17-20, her first touch of the ball was the match winning try, crossing over near the corner in dramatic fashion.

Unfortunately, Kiyomi could not attend the evening.

Community Club of the Season – Strathmore RFC

Strathmore has an unwavering commitment to community engagement, sustainability, and rugby excellence, setting them apart as a thriving and innovative grassroots club.

The club welcomes individuals of all ages and abilities through school outreach programs and initiatives like their Community Rugby Trust.

Strath embodies what it means to be a modern, community-facing rugby club. Through rugby development, sustainability, and inclusivity, they have created a community hub that benefits players, supporters, and the wider community alike.

Their player-led initiatives, strategic partnerships, and focus on net zero innovation make them a leading example of grassroots rugby at its best. Nothing epitomises this more than the club’s values: discipline, mutual respect, community, responsibility, equality, honesty, and teamwork.

Spirit of Rugby – Allan Wilson, Irvine Rugby Club

Allan can often be found doing odd jobs around the club, from building and repairing fences to re-seeding the fields during the week; to serving teas and coffees on a training evening to parents; selling club kit and hoarding rugby balls in his cupboard.

Under Allan’s guidance, Irvine Rugby Club achieved a historic victory by winning the National Bowl at Silver Saturday in 2024. This was a magic comeback for the club, the year after the men’s team nearly folded due to COVID and player retirement in 2023.

This accomplishment elevated the club’s status and brought pride to the local community, with the club also seeing a huge boost in the men’s team numbers at training. They now regularly have enough players to put out not just the first XV, but also a second men’s team.

Also was also the worthy recipient of the Adam Gray Memorial Award during our Murrayfield 100 celebrations in March.