A semi-professional rugby player stopped by police in Kingston when they noticed his windows were steamed up was more than two-and-a-half times the drink drive limit, a court heard last week.

David Whitehead, 20, plays for Blackheath rugby team and is a student at St Mary's College, Twickenham.

He pleaded guilty to drink driving at Kingston Magistrates' Court on June 19.

Liz West, prosecuting, told the court that Whitehead, from Sevenoaks, said to police that he had drunk two pints when he was pulled over in Fairfield North, Kingston at 3am on April 22.

A roadside breath test showed Whitehead had 196mg of alcohol in 100ml of blood. The legal limit is 80.

Zoe Van Den Bosch, defending, said Whitehead, a first year business student, was full of remorse for his actions.

She said: "Drinking and driving is absolutely not something he does.

"He is an exceptional rugby player and drinking and professional sportsmanship is not something that goes well together."

Miss Van Den Bosch said on the evening of April 22, Whitehead had been at Oceana in Kingston.

A friend had offered to drive Whitehead's car home but was stopped by police and, after being breathilised and being found not to be over the limit, was told to return the car to the owner.

Miss Van Den Bosch said when the car was returned to her client, he then decided to drive home, a scenario she said he had "not anticipated".

"It was a moment of ill judgement in the extreme that led him to get into the car and get behind the wheel being two-and-a-half times the limit," she said.

She urged the court to be lenient with Whitehead as she said a driving ban would stop him from traveling with the rugby club to competitions around the country.

Magistrate Amanda Otway said: "You have been very foolish but we accept that it was not your intention to go out and drive."

Whitehead was disqualified from driving for 20 months but told he could reduce this to 15 months if he completed a drink-drive rehabilitation course.

He was also fined £385.