Dings Crusaders Rugby Football Club

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Dings Crusaders
Full name Dings Crusaders Rugby Football Club
Founded 1897; 127 years ago (1897)
Location Lockleaze, Bristol, England
Ground(s) Landseer Avenue (Capacity: 1,500)
Coach(es) England James Farndon
Captain(s) England Stean Williams
League(s) National League 3 South West
2015–6] 10th
Team kit
Official website
www.pitchero.com/clubs/dingscrusadersrfc/

Dings Crusaders RFC is an English rugby union team based in the Bristol suburb of Lockleaze. The club was relegated from National Division Two South, the fourth tier of the English rugby union system in 2015 and currently play in National League 3 South West.[1]

Dings is one of the oldest clubs in Bristol, with its roots in a slum area of Bristol stretching back over 110 years.The club is entirely amateur, as opposed to the semi-professional structure of other clubs. The mantra "we don't play for personal gain" is a poignant line in the club's anthem, being very much a part of the community of Lockleaze it is not uncommon to find that some players in the teams today are third generation Dings players.

History

The Dings was a slum area of Bristol located between Barton Hill and Temple Meads. The Shaftesbury Crusade, a Christian mission in the area, encouraged sporting activity in the Dings. In 1897, H W Rudge founded Dings Crusaders as part of the Dings Boys Club. Dings is one of only two remaining members of the original Bristol Combination set up in 1901, the other being Bristol Saracens. In 1948, Jack Steadman instigated a move to Dings current home in Lockleaze. Since league structure was introduced, Dings gained three promotions between 1996 and 2003 to enter the National League for the first time. The club finished in the relegation places at the end of the 2003–04 season, their first in National Division Three South, but were spared demotion by the demise of Wakefield. Since then, the club has consolidated its position within the league.

In 2014 it was announced that the club would be moving from the Lockleaze ground to Frenchay Park Road in Frenchay, South Gloucestershire.[2]

2008–09 season review

The 2008–09 season was to be Dings Crusaders sixth consecutive season in National Division Three South, making them the longest-serving club in that division. It began in unusual fashion with a first round Roadchef Gloucestershire County Cup match at home against South West Two West side Cheltenham at the end of August, who were thrashed 62–6. Remarkably, the first league match of the season at home to Canterbury was then postponed due to a waterlogged pitch, after atrocious weather around the country in the week leading up to the match. After the false start, the league campaign finally got underway a week later against Barking in Lockleaze, which saw a comfortable 30–13 victory for the Dings. The first away match of the season, a trip to big-spenders Ealing Trailfinders, saw Dings go down 46–9, a result not unexpected by many. Dings concluded the opening month by administering a thrashing of their own, to Havant, who were dispatched 55–14 courtesy of some scintillating rugby. Second row Dave Bufton grabbed a hat-trick of tries.

Club honours

Current squad

Note: Flags indicate national union as has been defined under WR eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-WR nationality.

Player Position Union
Tim Brockett Prop England England
Ollie Caunt Lock England England
Sam Caven Centre England England
Alastair Crombie Centre England England
Gavin Curry Number 8 England England
Alex Dancer Centre England England
Neil Dipple Fullback England England
Sylvan Edwards Wing England England
Jack Gadd Centre England England
Tim Gear-Evans Centre England England
Ed Hack Flanker England England
Ed Haupt Wing England England
Ollie Hayes Hooker England England
Darren Jefferies Lock England England
Ricky Jones Scrum-half England England
Player Position Union
Gareth Lloyd Lock England England
Josh Lloyd Prop England England
Tom Lukjaniec Fly-half England England
Chas Meddick Prop England England
Pierre Panizzutti Flanker France France
Mitch Quoi Flanker England England
Rob Rees Lock England England
Orlando Stott Fullback France France
Richard Thomas Hooker England England
Jack Tovey Fullback England England
George Watkins Wing England England
Adam Westall Fly-half England England
Dave Wheeler Hooker England England
Stean Williams Flanker England England
Chris Wright-Hider Wing England England

Club officials

President Floyd Waters Vice President Raymond Bowden General Secretary Peter Jones Treasurer Richard Fackrell Chairman Steve Lloyd Chairman of Selectors Richard Grant Commercial Manager Chris Lloyd Head Coach Membership Secretary Richard Cecil

Assistant Coaches Dave Hilton, Peter Johnson, Club Captain Stean Williams

References

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External links