Essex 1 (known as Essex/Canterbury Jack 1 for sponsorship reasons) is an English rugby union league at the ninth tier of the domestic competition and features teams from Essex and parts of north-east London. Promoted clubs tend to move up to London 3 Essex. Relegated clubs used to drop into Essex 2 but as that division has been abolished there is currently no relegation. The division was created in 2003 by Essex-based teams who left Eastern Counties 1 and Eastern Counties 2. Each year some of the clubs in this division also take part in the RFU Junior Vase - a level 9-12 national competition.
Current season or competition: 2019–20 Essex Canterbury Jack 1 | |
Sport | Rugby union |
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Instituted | 2003 |
Number of teams | 9 |
Country | England |
Holders | Maldon (1st title) (2021–22) (promoted to London 3 Essex) |
Most titles | Billericay, Campion, Dagenham, East London, Upminster, Wanstead (2 titles) |
Website | englandrugby.com |
For the 2016–17 season the league was divided into two parallel divisions - Essex 1A and Essex 1B - divided on geographical lines with teams in Essex 1A typically based in the north and east of the county, while teams in Essex 1B are predominantly London based. Each division plays 14 home and away games from September until February. From February the top 4 teams from each division go into the Essex 1 Premiership and play for the title and promotion, while the bottom 4 sides from each group would play for the Essex 1 Shied.
For the 2018–19 season Essex 1 would revert to being a single division of 11 teams.
Thirteen teams are competing in Counties 2 Essex in 2022–23. Ten teams took part in Essex 1 in 2021–22; Barking, Basildon, Billericay, Clacton, Harwich & Dovercourt, Maldon, Millwall, Old Brentwoods, Stanford Le Hope and Writtle Wanderers.
Canvey Island (12th) and Kings Cross Steelers (11th) competed in London 3 Essex in 2021–22. Pegasus Palmerians joined the league as a new team for 2022–23.
The teams competing in 2021-22 achieved their places in the league based on performances in 2019–20, the 'previous season' column in the table below refers to that season not 2020–21.
Ilford Wanderers, who had been relegated from London 3 Essex in 11th place in season 2019–20, withdrew from the league in Autumn 2021 meaning it was completed with eleven teams.
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Bancroft Basildon Clacton Brentwoods Harwich & Dovercourt Maldon Millwall Writtle Wanderers
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On 30 October the RFU announced [1] that a decision had been taken to cancel Adult Competitive Leagues (National League 1 and below) for the 2020/21 season meaning Essex 1 was not contested.
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Canvey Island Clacton Dagenham Brentwoods Harwich & Dovercourt Maldon Millwall Writtle Wanderers
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Clacton Dagenham Brentwoods Harwich & Dovercourt Mavericks Mersea Island Thames Upminster Writtle Wanderers
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When Essex 1 was introduced in 2003 it contained the following teams:
The original Essex 1 was a tier 9 league with promotion up to London 4 North East and relegation down to Essex 2.
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Season | No of Teams | Champions | Runners–up | Relegated Teams | ||||||||||
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2003–04[2] | 10 | Westcliff | Wanstead | Canvey Island | ||||||||||
2004–05[3] | 10 | Wanstead | Upminster | Stanford Le Hope | ||||||||||
2005–06[4] | 10 | Upminster | Canvey Island | Thames | ||||||||||
2006–07[5] | 10 | Billericay | South Woodham Ferrers | Ilford Wanderers II[a] | ||||||||||
2007–08[6] | 10 | Dagenham | Maldon | East London, Millwall | ||||||||||
2008–09[7] | 10 | Wanstead | Campion | Writtle Wanderers, Epping Upper Clapton | ||||||||||
Green backgrounds are promotion places. |
Essex 1 remained a tier 9 league despite national restructuring by the RFU. Promotion was to London 3 North East (formerly London 4 North East) and relegation was to Essex 2 until that division was disbanded at the end of the 2013–14 season.
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Season | No of Teams | Champions | Runners–up | Relegated Teams | ||||||||||
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2009–10[8] | 10 | Campion | Bancroft | Ilford Wanderers | ||||||||||
2010–11[9] | 11 | East London | Millwall | Dagenham, Thames, Brightlingsea | ||||||||||
2011–12[10] | 10 | Old Brentwoods | Maldon | Writtle Wanderers, Pegasus Palmerians | ||||||||||
2012–13[11] | 10 | Campion | Old Cooperians | Burnham-On-Crouch, Millwall | ||||||||||
2013–14[12] | 9 | Billericay | Clacton | No relegation[b] | ||||||||||
2014–15[13] | 11 | May & Baker | Epping Upper Clapton | No relegation | ||||||||||
2015–16[14] | 13 | East London | Ilford Wanderers | No relegation | ||||||||||
2016–17[15] | 16 | Braintree | Canvey Island[c] | No relegation | ||||||||||
Green backgrounds are promotion places. |
The cancellation of London 3 North East and subsequent introduction of London 3 Essex ahead of the 2017–18 meant that Essex 1 remained a tier 9 league with promotion to this new division, and as it was the lowest division for clubs in Essex, there was no relegation.
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Season | No of Teams | Champions | Runners–up | Relegated Teams | ||||||||||
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2017–18[16] | 16 | Kings Cross Steelers | Ilford Wanderers | No relegation | ||||||||||
2018–19[17] | 10 | Upminster | Mavericks | No relegation | ||||||||||
2019–20[18] | 9 | Dagenham | Canvey Island | No relegation | ||||||||||
2020–21 | 9 | No relegation | ||||||||||||
2021-22[19] | 10 | Maldon | Billericay | |||||||||||
Green backgrounds are promotion places. |
From 2004 to 2016 there was a play-off between the runners-up of Eastern Counties 1 and Essex 1 for the third and final promotion place to London 3 North East. The team with the superior league record had home advantage in the tie. At the end of the 2015–16 season the Essex 1 teams had been the most successful with seven wins to the Eastern Counties 1 teams five; and the home team had won promotion on eight occasions compared to the away teams four. Since the introduction of London 3 Eastern Counties and London 3 Essex at the start of the 2017–18 season the playoff has been cancelled.[20]
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Season | Home team | Score | Away team | Venue | Attendance | |||||||||
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2004-05[21] | Crusaders (EC) | 41-24 | Upminster (EX) | Beckhithe, Little Melton, Norfolk | ||||||||||
2005–06[22] | Canvey Island (EX) | 31-18 | Mersea Island (EC) | Tewkes Creek, Canvey Island, Essex | ||||||||||
2006–07[23] | Thurston (EC) | 22-33 | South Woodham Ferrers (EX) | Robinson Field, Thurston, Suffolk | ||||||||||
2007–08[24] | Maldon (EX) | 15-20 | West Norfolk (EC) | Drapers Farm Playing Fields, Heybridge, Essex | ||||||||||
2008–09[25] | Wisbech (EC) | 38-14 | Campion (EX) | Chapel Road, Wisbech, Cambridgeshire | ||||||||||
2009–10[26] | Bancroft (EX) | 37-29 | Stowmarket (EC) | Buckhurst Way, Buckhurst Hill, Essex | ||||||||||
2010–11[27] | Holt (EC) | HWO[d] | Millwall (EX) | Bridge Road, Holt, Norfolk | ||||||||||
2011–12[28] | Wisbech (EC) | 38-12 | Maldon (EX) | Chapel Road, Wisbech, Cambridgeshire | ||||||||||
2012–13[29] | Ipswich Y.M. (EC) | 20-27 | Old Cooperians (EX) | The Street, Rushmere St Andrew, Ipswich, Suffolk | ||||||||||
2013–14[30] | Newmarket (EC) | 17-18 | Clacton (EX) | The NSDA Pavilion, Newmarket, Suffolk | ||||||||||
2014–15[31] | Epping Upper Clapton (EX) | 36-22 | Ely (EC) | Upland Road, Thornwood, Essex | 400 | |||||||||
2015–16[32] | Ilford Wanderers (EX) | 66-17 | Wymondham (EC) | Ilford Wanderers Sports Ground, Barkingside, Greater London | ||||||||||
Green background is the promoted team. EC = Eastern Counties 1 and EX = Essex Canterbury Jack (formerly Essex 1) |