DINGS CRUSADERS v RAMS Saturday 2nd March 2019

NATIONAL LEAGUE TWO SOUTH OFFICIAL MATCHDAY PROGRAMME DINGS www.dingscrusaders.co.uk CRUSADERS RFC

A CLUB WITH ITS HEART IN 1 Welcome

Today we extend a warm welcome to Rams Rugby for what I believe to be the first ever meeting between the two clubs in Bristol. Rams were formally known as Redingensians RFC, but my guess is anyone who knows their rugby stuff will already know this so I wont go over it again. Rams arrive sitting at the top of the league in a well-deserved position, although I guess they will say it’s not over yet.

But I think it was a done deal a few weeks ago, with their latest loss coming at Tonbridge who are now pushing to finish in the runners-up spot. So today, it’s the league-leaders against a Dings side looking to continue their recent good home form. Dings will need to be at their very best if they are to cause the upset of the season against the run-away Rams, but either way, we’re expecting another high quality rugby match to take place here at Shaftesbury Park.

The last two weeks playing away from home and losing to Barnes and Old Albanians meant the excellent performance against a solid Bury St Edmunds team was just a distant memory. The team itself has been disrupted of late with injuries and non availabilities and I think again today it will be a side showing some new faces, so it will be down to the coaches to ensure that all Dings lads understand what’s expected of them.

So back to the Barnes game. We had all the play, but two mistakes in kickable positions ultimately cost us the game and meant we returned home with just a single point when it could and should have been more. But the highlight of that particular trip is the Barnes clubhouse, reminiscent of ours in . The Barnes clubhouse is currently the only one in Britain with an indoor artificial pitch inside the bar! They were excellent hosts, and had their very own Mrs Rabbit who seemed to pop up carrying out all manner of tasks and duties, so well done to her.

Barnes are one of the sides currently below us, so we need to keep ahead of them to ensure our future plans come to fruition. Two more wins should make us safe, although the bottom sides still have to play each other so it will make it an interesting run in. Last week we travelled to Old Albanians with a much changed team and after going down 22-12, returned to Bristol empty-handed, so we find ourselves now needing the points to ensure our safety and push on next season.

Elsewhere in the club the normal round of opposition crying off has meant that little or no rugby has been seen below the first XV. However there could be a solution forthcoming after a pretty good meeting with RFU last week where they finally acknowledged there is an issue, so it will be down to the four clubs – Cleve, , Clifton and Dings – to try and get support for entry into the Gloucestershire leagues. Bearing in mind it could be at the expense of some local clubs I fail to see how enough support will be forthcoming. Let’s hope we can put a strong enough case together.

So back to today, our very own shepherd Dai Davies has been a little unwell of late but I’m sure he will back to his best this afternoon, and get his flock running all over the place. So let’s get right behind the lads today as they attempt another giant killing act.

So C’mon on you Dings boys…

Steve Lloyd

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A CLUB WITH ITS HEART IN BRISTOL 3 Welcome to Rams RFC

We extend a warm welcome this afternoon to our visitors Rams and hope that all players, officials and supporters enjoy their visit to Shaftesbury Park. Based at on the outskirts of Reading the Rams were founded in 1924 as Old Redingensians by former pupils of Reading School. Nicknamed the Rams after the animal featured on Reading towns coat of arms they changed their name formally in 2018 to become the Rams. After just three seasons at this level three and a third place finish last season today’s visitors currently lead the division by some distance and look nailed on for promotion to National One for next season. With only two losses all season Rams recent form has seen them lose one from their last four fixtures with the loss coming at fourth placed Tonbridge 19-25 and wins 59-8 away to Guernsey and home 48-14 to Barnes and last time out 31-15 over Old Reds. With the Rams promotion to this level coinciding with our relegation we have only met once in the league when the Rams won a well contested affair 33-15 back in November at their Sonning home. Good luck to both sides may the best team win and all spectators committed or neutral enjoy entertaining afternoon’s rugby.

DINGS Sponsorship benefits us all! CRUSADERS RFC If you are interested in sponsorship or Tel: 07377 791868 supporting the club in any other way please [email protected] contact Chris Lloyd for further information

NATIONAL LEAGUE TWO SOUTH MATCH DAY SPONSORS P W D L Pts Rams 23 21 0 2 104 Canterbury 23 18 0 5 92 Henley 23 18 0 5 88 Tonbridge Juddians 23 18 1 4 85 Taunton 23 16 0 7 84 Clifton 23 9 1 13 55 Old Albanian 23 10 1 12 54 Bury St Edmunds 23 9 2 12 54 Redruth 23 10 1 12 53 Worthing 23 8 2 13 48 Dings Crusaders 23 9 0 14 47 23 8 0 15 46 Barnes 23 8 1 14 45 Birmingham & Solihull 23 7 1 15 33 Wild Geese 23 6 0 17 32 PROUD TO BE SPONSORING DINGS RFC Guernsey 23 4 0 19 28

4 DINGS CRUSADERS RFC DINGS CRUSADERS v RAMS

BLUE & BLACK HOOPS RED SHIRTS & BLUE SHORTS

15 Luke Arscott Full Back Joe Duffelen 15 Quick Lane Tyres 14 Tom Hargan Wing Conor Corrigan 14 Burrows Court Farm 13 Matt Smith Centre Ellis Jones 13 Hills Electrical South West Ltd 12 Marcus Brooker Centre Andrew Humberstone 12 Stan Thatcher 11 Ben Robinson Wing Andrew Denham 11 First Steps Soccer 10 Steve Plummer (Capt) Stand Off Alex Seers 10 Dave Baker 9 Connor Swan Scrum Half Miles Lloyd 9

1 Ash Challenger Prop Niall Kidd 1 Ink’d Kreations 2 Tom Anderson Hooker Ben Henderson 2 The Biltong Company Ltd 3 James Hall Prop Sean McDonnell-Roberts 3 Trojan Fitness 4 Jake Holcombe Lock Ollie Taylor 4 The Crown 5 Gavin Curry Lock Connor Stapley 5 Alpine Care Homes 6 Tom Knight Flanker Louis Wolf 6 Igloo Developments 7 Stean Williams Flanker Tom Vooght (Capt) 7 UKS 8 Michele Canulli No 8 Jamie Guttridge 8 Peter Williams 16 Joe Hawkesby Replacement Greg Drew 16 CDE Services 17 Josh Lloyd Replacement James Baker 17 Alan Cole 18 Ray Chase Replacement James Page 18 Steve Weymouth Carpentry 19 George Nowell Replacement Tom Humberstone 19

20 Hugo Flinn Replacement Greg Illingworth 20

Referee – James Phillip Clarke / Touch Judge – Richard Waller / Touch Judge – Stephen Ward

A CLUB WITH ITS HEART IN BRISTOL 5 A Picture From The Past

To mark the 80th anniversary of the founding The tournament consisted of 4 leagues, with of Dings Crusaders RFC the club organised an 4 teams per league, the winner of each league invitation seven-a-side tournament at the start of progressing to the semi-fi nal, when the games were the 1977-1978 season at their Landseer Avenue played on a knock-out basis. Dings were grouped ground in Lockleaze. It was Ding’s fi rst venture into with North Bristol, Horfi eld and Old Cothamians, the realms of sevens tournaments but the club whilst Dings President’s team played Broad Plain, managed to secure sponsorship from the Watney Saracens and Old Cathedralians. Neither of the Mann brewery who donated the trophies for the blue and black sevens teams progressed and it was competition, and GKN Steelstock of Bristol who Bishopston who beat North Bristol in the fi nal. provided the ball used in the fi nal. However, the following year Dings did make it to Fourteen local rugby clubs were invited to play in the fi nal of the competition only to be defeated the tournament; Aretians, Ashley Down Old Boys, 12-16 by North Bristol. Barton Hill, Bishopston, Broad Plain, Chipping Watching the tournament proceedings from a Sodbury, Frampton Cotterell, Horfi eld, North vantage point on the fl at roof of the changing Bristol, Old Cathedralians, Old Cothamians, rooms, on Sunday 4th September 1977, are Dings’ Saracens, St Brendan’s, and Thornbury, with Dings stalwarts from left to right: John Thorne, Steve providing two sides; one a President’s team. That Butcher, John Searle, Bob Beynon and Tom White. year was also a noteworthy anniversary for Barton The sign that ‘Thorney’ is holding up states “I have Hill as the Cherry and Whites celebrated the 70th another 3 weeks of my ban to serve!” anniversary of their founding.

6 DINGS CRUSADERS RFC Oracle for ‘The Rams’

Two weeks on the road have sadly yielded only quite joyful, I’m not sure why we had to sing ‘All one point in response to all the mileage. Despite over Italy he plays his concertina’ quite so often, outscoring our opponents Barnes, on the banks even Michelle was brassed off. of the Thames, by three tries to two, we gave up possession too easily and conceded penalties in Today we welcome the Rams. We were made crucial areas. Having waded our way through most welcome up in , and we hope to Goose dung and avoided being dive bombed by repay the pleasantries at , well off the feral parakeets to watch the game, the result was pitch anyway. Rams are demonstrating they disappointing. The game became quite boring are the league’s class act, but they didn’t have at one point, so much so that even snoring it all their own way up there. They do have the was heard coming from the pitch during one league’s two biggest scoreboards to boot. break in play. Given the close proximity to the Thames, flooding is often an issue and life saving We are coming to the ‘moment critique’ in the equipment is at hand. I was reminded of the pond league, with not many games left to play, and we had at the top of the ground back at Landseer it is becoming very tight amongst a group of Avenue. In later years it became somewhat teams all scrapping to avoid the bottom three. obscured. Many years back a game was halted on After today we have only two home games the top pitch when the only ball was kicked into left, interrupted by the Dings mass foray to the the pond. A young lad went in after it and got Channel Islands. into difficulties and became unconscious. He was partially dragged from the water and laid on his Bristol need to get a few wins also, Newcastle stomach and the Holger-Nielson resuscitation will also be trying to move up the table and method was applied. Gallons of water pored Worcester will not want to be hauled into from his lungs, and continued to do so. It wasn’t the mire. until it was noticed that his backside was still in the pond and he was pumping it dry that he was Anyway, back to today… brought round! Come on you boys, shove ‘em Our journey to for the rearranged fixture with Old Albanians proved to be even up the M32. worse, following the defeat we then sat in the clubhouse and witnessed ’s humiliation at the hands of the Celts. I hope Ellis Genge didn’t go too far with his proposed tattoo. Apparently he has a tattoo on his left foot for every team he has beaten, a Dragon was to be the next work of art. The only comfort to be drawn from the afternoon was the size of the chicken pie at the pre match lunch. It has to be the largest single pie I have ever seen. I thought when they were being served, that I had to share with the person next to me. One of our smaller members fell into his and had to be rescued. However, not only big but, tasty too. At least the journey home was

A CLUB WITH ITS HEART IN BRISTOL 7 Player Profi le: Gavin Curry

Name: Gavin Curry Favourite player: Courtney Lawes. Position: Lock And why? He likes to put shots in. Height: 6’5” Other sport if not rugby: Cricket, because I’m Weight: 17stone good at it. Nicknames: Big Gav or Gavala Favourite drink: Espresso Martini Rugby honours: County Championship Final, Favourite food: Stilton dipped in a chocolate National One Champions, Student Rugby fountain. League World Cup, Combination Cup Winner, Last fi lm you watched:Polar. Champions. Ideal date: Anything without the kids... Date you joined Dings: 2009 & 2016

PHOTOGRAPHS INCLUDING FRONT COVER COURTESY OF JOHN WHITE MEDIA