Dings Crusaders Rugby Football Club

Dings Crusaders RFC is an English rugby union team based in the Bristol suburb of Frenchay having previously been based in Lockleaze up until 2018. The club was relegated from National Division Two South, the fourth tier of the English rugby union system in 2015, having played in South West Premier [1] for two seasons the team won promotion back to National League 2 South for the 2018–19 season having won South West Premier.

Dings Crusaders
Full nameDings Crusaders Rugby Football Club
UnionGloucestershire RFU
Founded1897 (1897)
LocationFrenchay, Bristol, England
Ground(s)Shaftesbury Park (Capacity: 2,250 (250 seats))
Captain(s) Stean Williams
League(s)National League 2 South
2019–2011th
Team kit
Official website
www.pitchero.com/clubs/dingscrusadersrfc/

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 1,500 capacity Lockleaze ground to Shaftesbury Park, which is based on Frenchay Park Road in Frenchay, South Gloucestershire.[2] The new ground will be part of a £8 million pound sports facility with a main stand/club house, a gym and two court sports hall, eight changing rooms, two full size floodlight pitches including the main pitch which will have an 4G artificial surface, parking for up to 220 cars and multiple junior pitches.[3] Capacity will include 250 seated and up to 2,000 standing, bring the total figure up to approximately 2,250.

On 17 February 2018 after 10 years in the making, Dings finally played their first game at Shaftesbury Park in front of a crowd of around 1,000, defeating Weston-super-Mare 34–26 in a South West Premier league game.[4]

Club honours

[5][6][7][8][9]

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

{{rugby squad player | nat=ENG |pos=WG | name= C R

Club officials

President : Raymond Bowden

Vice President : Phillip Knowles

General Secretary : Ian Haddrell

Treasurer : Jeff Kemp

Chairman : Steve Lloyd

Chairman of Selectors : Richard Grant

Commercial Manager : Richard Milsom

Membership Secretary : Richard Cecil

Head Coach : Luke Arscott

Director of Rugby : Stean Williams

Club Captain : Steve Plummer

Current standings
2019–20 National League 2 South Table
Played Won Drawn Lost Points for Points against Points diff Try bonus Losing bonus Points
1Taunton Titans (C)252005815521294174101
2Tonbridge Juddians (P)25210481036644413198
3Redruth25201462037524511396
4Henley Hawks25191576142433715295
5Clifton25160970355215115483
6Bury St Edmunds24150966048917112678
7Leicester Lions2416085203741467576
8Esher24131106095307911570
9Worthing Raiders2411013582726−14412460
10Old Albanian25901658556718111057
11Dings Crusaders249015548647−9911552
12Barnes258017533719−1869546
13Westcliff256118446735−2895839
14Sutton & Epsom (R)244119395831−4365326
15Old Redcliffians (R)233218329648−3193423
16Bournemouth (R)252122441852−4112618
  • If teams are level at any stage, tiebreakers are applied in the following order:
  1. Number of matches won
  2. Difference between points for and against
  3. Total number of points for
  4. Aggregate number of points scored in matches between tied teams
  5. Number of matches won excluding the first match, then the second and so on until the tie is settled
Green background is the promotion place. Blue background is the play-off place. Pink background are relegation places.
Updated: 14 March 2020
Source: "National League 2 South". NCA Rugby.
Notes

    References
    1. "RFU National League 3 South West Rugby Fixtures". South West Sports News. Retrieved 13 December 2015.
    2. "Dings Crusaders RFC to move after selling its site". Western Daily Press. 15 July 2014. Retrieved 13 December 2015.
    3. "Frenchay ground beginning to take shape". Fishponds Voice. 2 September 2016.
    4. "Dings Crusaders kick off with a win!". Ferguson Mann Architects. Retrieved 17 February 2018.
    5. "Bristol & District Rugby Football Combination". Pitchero. Retrieved 13 December 2015.
    6. "Dings Crusaders see off Weston in Combination Cup final". Bristol Post. 5 May 2011. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 13 December 2015.
    7. "RUGBY: Dings' season ends on a high with Combination Cup win". Bristol Post. 14 May 2015. Archived from the original on 22 December 2015. Retrieved 20 December 2015.
    8. "Final League Tables 2000-2001". Trelawny's Army. Retrieved 13 December 2015.
    9. "Final League Tables 2002-2003". Trelawny's Army. Retrieved 13 December 2015.
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