Celebrating 150 years at Exeter Rugby and a proud legacy

Bill Beaumont, Jason Leonard joined Tony Rowe on the top table alongside Rob Baxter, some great rugby personalities. We were taken back through the formation of the club, talked about keys figures like, Dick Manley, the Baxter family, Andy Maunder and many more. A fantastic celebration of the history and tradition of Exeter Rugby.

I wanted to mention two huge personalities of Exeter rugby who have recently passed away. Two great men in Adrian Witton and Dave ‘RDad’ Simms, both spending considerable time at the club and making a sizeable impact on both myself and many others.

Adrian, as the Head Groundsman at Sandy Park for the majority of my time there, produced what we know as the immaculate Exeter pitch. A true gent, someone who was loved by so many people at the club and someone who will be sorely missed.

Dave Simms, was a giant of a man, a proper tough nut from the conversations I have had with team-mates of his, yet a true gentle giant when you come to meet him. A man with many friends still at the club and across the rugby family, who have been hit for six with the news. For both men, taken too soon, I can only wish both families the best and my thoughts go out to them all at this awful time.

The reaction to the loss of both men clearly shows how highly they were regarded, with Exeter, holding memorials at the Home fixture vs Leicester Tigers for both.

It is people like Adrian and Dave that truly make Exeter the club we see today. A proper rugby club, with thick roots in the community. Even with the success on the field that we have seen in recent years, the club and its representatives are still prepared to keep the ethos of a community club.

A tough thing in the modern era with salaries, contracts and the pressures of the corporate sport, but I believe Exeter is doing a fine job of it.

Adrian Witton (Image: PINNACLE PHOTOGRAPHY LTD- PHOTO AGENCY UK)