Dings Crusaders Rugby Football Club

Dings Crusaders
Full name Dings Crusaders Rugby Football Club
Union Gloucestershire RFU
Founded 1897 (1897)
Location Frenchay, Bristol, England
Ground(s) Shaftesbury Park (Capacity: 2,250 (250 seats))
Captain(s) England Stean Williams
League(s) National League 2 South
2017–18 Promoted from South West Premier (champions)
Team kit
Official website
www.pitchero.com/clubs/dingscrusadersrfc/

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 and currently play in South West Premier.[1] From the 2018-19 season they will once more play in National League 2 South having won South West Premier the previous year.

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 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 Raymond Bowden Vice President Phillip Knowles General Secretary Peter Jones Treasurer Jeff Kemp Chairman Steve Lloyd Chairman of Selectors Richard Grant Commercial Manager Chris Lloyd Head Coach Luke Arscott Membership Secretary Richard Cecil

Assistant Coaches, James Hall , Club Captain Steve Plummer

Current standings

2018–19 National League 2 South Table
Played Won Drawn Lost Points for Points against Points diff Try bonus Losing bonus Points
1Rams76012591101496030
2Redruth7601180195-152026
3Taunton Titans7502235161744226
4Henley Hawks750216616603124
5Tonbridge Juddians7502165124411122
6Canterbury7403180150304222
7Worthing Raiders7403244218265021
8Old Albanian7403195133622220
9Bury St Edmunds7403224198264020
10Dings Crusaders7403152131211118
11Clifton7304148182-343116
12Barnes7205154167-132313
13Guernsey7205140252-1124113
14Old Redcliffians7106164202-383310
15Birmingham & Solihull7106172210-38234[b 1]
16London Irish Wild Geese7007116295-179101
  • 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: 13 October 2018
Source: "National League 2 South". NCA Rugby.
Notes
  1. ↑
    • Birmingham & Solihull were deducted 5 points as a result of fielding an ineligible player from the previous season in Midlands Premier which carried over into the 2018-19 season.[10]

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. ↑ "Brisol & District Rugby Football Combination". Pitchero. Retrieved 13 December 2015.
  6. ↑ "Dings Crusaders see off Weston in Combination Cup final". Bristol Post. 5 May 2011. Retrieved 13 December 2015.
  7. ↑ "RUGBY: Dings' season ends on a high with Combination Cup win". Bristol Post. 14 May 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.
  10. ↑ "All roads lead south for the Bees next season". Birmingham & Solihull RFC. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
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