Dunstablians R.F.C.
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| Dunstablians | |||
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| Full name | Dunstablians RFUC | ||
| Nickname(s) | The D's | ||
| Founded | 1948 | ||
| Location | Houghton Regis, England | ||
| Ground(s) | Bidwell Hill | ||
| Chairman |  Brian Bell |
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| Coach | Laurence White |
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| League | Midlands Two | ||
| Official website | |||
| www.drufc.com/ | |||
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Dunstablians Rugby Football Club are a Bedfordshire based English rugby union team who currently play their rugby in Midlands Division Two. Their ground is located just outside of nearby Hougton Regis and is commonly known as Bidwell Park[1].
The growing club enjoys numerous local rivalries, most notably with Luton Rugby Club.
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[edit] History
In 1927, members of Dunstable Grammar School formed a rugby section, based at Fensomes Field in Leagrave, Luton. Unfortunately, following the initial commitments, the number of regular players dwindled forcing the closure of the club after only three seasons.
In 1948, another group of former pupils made a new start, securing a new ground at French's Avenue in Dunstable and later moved to Skimpot Lane in Luton, home of what is now a Fitness First Gym.
In 1954 a great step forward was made when a ground in Bullpond Lane, Dunstable was leased. The opening was marked with a match against an East Midlands invitation XV.
It was eventually decided to purchase a new ground at Bidwell Hill in Houghton Regis, the club's present site. A new and dynamic committee was formed with the task of raising the funds required to provide Dunstablians with a new home, purpose built facilities and state of the art pitch floodlighting. The bulk of the funds was raised through the sale of the Bullpond Lane site for a housing development
In September 1985, the Club celebrated the opening of the new clubhouse, which was at the time, the best in the county. The Club hosted an International XV which included six past England Captains to mark the opening.
The last ten years have been very successful for the D's. The club has been promoted through the league system in 2000, 2001 and to its present Midlands One status in 2002 and to date have consolidated their position in this league. 2000 also saw the club win the national Intermediate Cup at Twickenham.
During 2006/2007 Dunstablians recorded their best ever season. They returned to Twickenham for their second Intermediate Cup Final losing 36-46 to Cornish side Mounts Bay and finished third in Midlands League 1 (RFU Level 5), their highest ever league placing.
2007/2008 saw Dunstablians fail to build on their previous seasons exploits as they were relegated from East Midlands One with a final day defeat to Broadstreet.
[edit] Current Squad
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[edit] Club Honours
- NPI Intermediate Cup 2000
- Midlands 2 East 2001
- Bedfordshire County Cup 2001
- Bedfordshire Colts County Cup 2001
- EDF Intermediate Cup 2007 Runners-up
