| 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.
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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.
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.
Note: Flags indicate national union as has been defined under IRB eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-IRB nationality.
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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
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