Hooker Chris Whitehead has agreed a two-year extension to his deal with Heineken Cup club Exeter Chiefs that will keep him at the Devon club until 2015.
Whitehead, 26, joined the Chiefs in 2009 from London Wasps and has since gone on to feature 50 times for the club in all competitions - including in both their Heineken Cup fixtures against champions Leinster and ASM Clermont Auvergne during their debut season in European club rugby's premier tournament.
The Chiefs, who will be looking for their first tournament win when they clash with the Scarlets in Rounds 3 and 4 next month, have also agreed a new deal with young prop Luke Cowan-Dickie, who had another year to run on his academy contract.
Cowan-Dickie - who has played four times for the Exeter first team - is now into his second full season at Sandy Park having been part of the club's academy structure at Truro College.
Exeter Chiefs head coach Rob Baxter said: "Chris is what I like about the way things have gone for us. He wasn't part of our promotion-winning team, but he came into that set-up very quickly and was one of the guys we looked to recruit based on his performances in the Championship against us whilst he was on loan at London Welsh.
"It's been a nice story of a gradual progression. It's not like he went straight into the side, he had to fight it out with other good hookers for quite a long time. This season and last season he's been getting a lot of game time and it's great for us that he's still fighting it out with two other very good hookers and that Jack Yeandle is here now and he's doing as well as he's doing.
"It's been a good move for Chris to come to Exeter and we're glad it's worked out for us both. Now, though, I think the key for Chris, like a lot of the rest of our players, is to be part of a couple of big seasons for Exeter.
"Luke has been part of our academy now for a long time and he's a guy with massive potential and who we want to stay as an Exeter player for as long as possible. Right now he is starting to come to the fore amongst the senior players and we are beginning to see exactly what we want from him.
"He's one of the players you think wherever you pick him on a rugby field he can do damage because he's an exceptional ball carrier for his age. For him to be linked to the club now for the next couple of years means he can concentrate on his development, we can concentrate on his development and look to drive him through into the senior squad as quickly as he's ready.
"He's an England under-20 international now, but I want him to have every opportunity to take the next steps to being an England player. That means he's got to work very hard to get into a Premiership side, then he's got to keep working hard to keep those honours rolling in as the years go by."
