DINGS got their Nat 2 West campaign off to the best possible start with a try bonus-point victory at Shaftesbury Park. The home side made a great start and finished the game strongly, while the visitors enjoyed a purple patch midway through this entertaining contest.

Crusaders opened the scoring on three-minutes with hooker Tommy Gollop rumbling over from the back of a driving line-out for an unconverted try. Lucs hit back 12 minutes later with a regulation penalty from from straight out in front of the posts, converted by scrum-half Louis Silver.

The highlight of the match came on 26 minutes - Dings fly-half TJ Wilstead ghosted through the visitors defence without having a finger laid on him to touchdown beneath the uprights for a try he also converted. The home side struck again on the half-hour mark - former Clifton centre Sam Harrison showed great determination and strength to get across the chalk. Wilstead added the extras to make it 19-3 at the turnaround.

The visitors undoubtedly had the better of the exchanges early in the second-half, and were able to keep the pressure on the home defence with a sustained attack. Hooker Ben Link crashed over on 58 minutes to start their fightback. Tom Jones converted. Wilstead added a penalty for Dings, but Sam Jones got another try back for the visitors, and Tom’s conversion cut the gap to 22-17 on 74 minutes. But Dings secured the try bonus-point after flanker Costa Galatalis powered over. Wilstead converted to seal the deal for Crusaders.

Dings scores: Tries (4) Gollop 3, Wilted 26, Harrison 30, Galatalis 78. Conversions: Wilstead 27, 31, 78. Penalty: Wilstead 72. Con

Luctonians scorers: Link 58, S Jones 73. Conversions: Jones 59, 74. Penalty: Silver 15.