Dings Crusaders RFC

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]

• Bristol Combination Cup winners (7): 1973–74, 1985–86, 1990–91, 1994–95, 1995–96, 2010–11, 2014–15
• Gloucestershire 1 champions: 1989–90
• Gloucestershire/Somerset champions: 1993–94
• Western Counties champions: 1995–96
• South West Division 2 West champions: 2000–01
• South West Premier champions (2): 2002–03, 2017–18

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

Note: Flags indicate national union under World Rugby eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-World Rugby 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 Archie Stapleton Scrum-half England

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

• Official website