Full name | Dings Crusaders Rugby Football Club | |
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Union | Gloucestershire RFU | |
Founded | 1897; 127 years ago (1897) | |
Location | Frenchay, Bristol, England | |
Ground(s) | Shaftesbury Park (Capacity: 2,250 (250 seats)) | |
Captain(s) | Stean Williams | |
League(s) | National League 2 West | |
2023β24 | Champions (promotedββto National League 1) | |
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Official website | ||
www |
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, theββfourth tier of the English rugby union system in 2015,ββto the South West Premier After two seasons, the team won promotion back to National League 2 South for the 2018β19 season and currently play in National League 2 West
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.
Current standingsβ»
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TB | LB | Pts | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Dings Crusaders (C) | 26 | 22 | 1 | 3 | 1007 | 382 | +625 | 18 | 3 | 111 | Promoted |
2 | Luctonians | 26 | 20 | 0 | 6 | 859 | 443 | +416 | 20 | 4 | 104 | |
3 | Clifton | 26 | 15 | 2 | 9 | 802 | 610 | +192 | 17 | 8 | 89 | |
4 | Old Redcliffians | 26 | 16 | 0 | 10 | 769 | 659 | +110 | 18 | 3 | 85 | |
5 | Exeter University | 26 | 15 | 0 | 11 | 816 | 778 | +38 | 16 | 5 | 81 | |
6 | Camborne | 26 | 13 | 1 | 12 | 796 | 904 | −108 | 19 | 3 | 76 | |
7 | Hinckley | 26 | 13 | 2 | 11 | 730 | 732 | −2 | 15 | 4 | 75 | |
8 | Loughborough Students | 26 | 12 | 0 | 14 | 972 | 839 | +133 | 22 | 2 | 72 | |
9 | Redruth | 26 | 11 | 4 | 11 | 598 | 743 | −145 | 12 | 2 | 66 | |
10 | Bournville | 26 | 10 | 0 | 16 | 647 | 765 | −118 | 15 | 7 | 62 | |
11 | Chester | 26 | 11 | 0 | 15 | 696 | 814 | −118 | 15 | 1 | 60 | |
12 | Hornets | 26 | 8 | 2 | 16 | 713 | 806 | −93 | 13 | 9 | 58 | |
13 | Newport (Salop) (R) | 26 | 6 | 0 | 20 | 515 | 935 | −420 | 11 | 4 | 39 | Relegated |
14 | Dudley Kingswinford (R) | 26 | 4 | 0 | 22 | 511 | 1021 | −510 | 8 | 3 | 27 |
Rules for classification: If teams are level at any stage, tiebreakers are applied in the following order:
- Number of matches won
- Difference between points for. And against
- Total number of points for
- Aggregate number of points scored in matches between tied teams
- Number of matches won excluding the first match, then the second and so on until the tie is settled
(C) Champion; (R) Relegated
Historyβ»
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 2003β04 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. The new ground will be part of a Β£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. 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 34β26 in a South West Premier league game.
Dings Crusaders finished as National League 2 West champions at the end of the 2023β24 season, taking the title with a game to go. This win would also see Dings promoted to National League 1 - the highest level the club had reached in its league history.
Honoursβ»
- Bristol Combination Cup winners (7): 1973β74, 1985β86, 1990β91, 1994β95, 1995β96, 2010β11, 2014β15
- Gloucestershire 1 champions: 1989β90
- Gloucestershire/Somerset champions: 1993β94
- Western Counties champions: 1995β96
- South West Division 2 West champions: 2000β01
- South West Premier champions (2): 2002β03, 2017β18
- National League 2 West: 2023β24
Current squadβ»
Note: Flags indicate national union under World Rugby eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-World Rugby nationality.
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Club officialsβ»
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
Referencesβ»
- ^ "RFU National League 3 South West Rugby Fixtures". South West Sports News. Retrieved 13 December 2015.
- ^ "National League 2 West". England Rugby.
- ^ "Dings Crusaders RFC to move after selling its site". Western Daily Press. 15 July 2014. Retrieved 13 December 2015.
- ^ "Frenchay ground beginning to take shape". Fishponds Voice. 2 September 2016.
- ^ "Dings Crusaders kick off with a win!". Ferguson Mann Architects. Retrieved 17 February 2018.
- ^ "Dings rack up the points to celebrate lifting title". The RugbyPaper. No. 813. 14 April 2024. p. 34-35.
- ^ "Bristol & District Rugby Football Combination". Pitchero. Retrieved 13 December 2015.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "Final League Tables 2000-2001". Trelawny's Army. Retrieved 13 December 2015.
- ^ "Final League Tables 2002-2003". Trelawny's Army. Retrieved 13 December 2015.
- ^ "Dings rack up the points to celebrate lifting title". The RugbyPaper. No. 813. 14 April 2024. p. 34-35.