Dings Crusaders Rugby Football Club

Dings Crusaders

Full name	Dings Crusaders Rugby Football Club
Founded	1897
Location	Lockleaze, Bristol, England
Ground(s)	Landseer Avenue (Capacity: 1500)
Coach(es)	James Farndon
Captain(s)	Stean Williams
League(s)	National Division Two South
2008–09	6th
Official website
www.dingscrusaders.co.uk

Dings Crusaders R.F.C. is a rugby union team based in the Bristol suburb of Lockleaze. It competes in National Division Two South, the fourth tier of English rugby union competition, the 2007–08 season being the club's fifth as a National League club. It is one of the oldest clubs in Bristol, with its roots in a slum area of Bristol stretching back 110 years. The club is unique in the league, in that it is entirely amateur, as opposed to semi-professional structure of which the other clubs are a part. 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 very 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.

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.

Current squad

Note: Flags indicate national union as has been defined under IRB eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-IRB 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 Chris Wright-Hider Wing 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

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