# Counties 2 Essex

Counties 2 Essex (formerly 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 Counties 1 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. Following the RFU's Adult Competition Review, from season 2022–23 it adopted its current name Counties 2 Essex.
Each year some of the clubs in this division also take part in the RFU Junior Vase - a level 9-12 national competition.
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 Shield. For the 2018–19 season Essex 1 would revert to being a single division of 11 teams.

## Participating clubs 2024–25

The experiment of dividing the league was abandoned and North and South divisions reunited.
Departing were Burnham-on-Crouch and Basildon, both promoted to Counties 1 Essex. Barking (7th (South)) were relegated to the Essex RFU merit leagues.
Joining were Stanford-le-Hope, relegated from Counties 1 Essex.

## Participating clubs 2023–24

Ahead of the new season the decision was taken to split the league into parallel North and South divisions as had previously happened in 2016–17.
Departing were Maldon and Stanford-le-Hope, promoted to Counties 1 Essex.
Joining the North league were South Woodham Ferrers (relegated from Counties 1 Essex), Kelvedon & Feering, Witham and Burnham-on-Crouch.

### South
## Participating clubs 2022–23

This was the first season following the RFU Adult Competition Review with the league adopting its new name of Counties 2 Essex.
Returning were nine teams took part in Essex 1 in 2021–22: Barking, Basildon, Billericay, Clacton, Harwich & Dovercourt, Maldon, Millwall, Old Brentwoods and Writtle Wanderers. Bancroft (8th) did not return.
Joining were Canvey Island (12th) and Kings Cross Steelers (11th) relegated from London 3 Essex together with Pegasus Palmerians and Stanford le Hope who both re-joined the league.

## Participating clubs 2021–22

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.

## Season 2020–21

On 30 October the RFU announced 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.

## Participating clubs 2016–17
### Essex 1A

* Bancroft
* Billericay
* Dagenham
* Kings Cross Steelers
* Millwall
* Old Brentwoods (relegated from London 3 North East)
* Pegasus Palmerians
* Stanford Le Hope

### Essex 1B

* Braintree
* Burnham-on-Crouch
* Canvey Island
* Clacton
* Harwich & Dovercourt
* Maldon
* Writtle Wanderers
* Witham

## Participating clubs 2015–16

* Bancroft
* Billericay (relegated from London 3 North East)
* Braintree
* Canvey Island
* Clacton (relegated from London 3 North East)
* East London
* Ilford Wanderers
* Kings Cross Steelers
* Maldon
* Millwall
* Pegasus Palmerians
* Stanford Le Hope
* Writtle Wanderers

## Participating clubs 2014–15

* Bancroft
* Burnham-on-Crouch
* Canvey Island (relegated from London 3 North East)
* Dagenham
* East London
* Epping Upper Clapton
* Ilford Wanderers
* Maldon
* May & Baker
* Millwall
* Pegasus Palmerians
* Writtle Wanderers

## Original teams

When Essex 1 was introduced in 2003 it contained the following teams:
* Billericay - transferred from Eastern Counties 1 (7th)
* Canvey Island - transferred from Eastern Counties 1 (9th)
* East London - transferred from Eastern Counties 2 South (runners up)
* Epping Upper Clapton - transferred from Eastern Counties 1 (8th)
* Ilford Wanderers II - transferred from Eastern Counties 2 South (3rd)
* Maldon - transferred from Eastern Counties 1 (3rd)
* Stanford Le Hope - transferred from Eastern Counties 1 (10th)
* Upminster - relegated from London 4 North East (9th)
* Wanstead - transferred from Eastern Counties 1 (4th)
* Westcliff - transferred from Eastern Counties 2 South (champions)

## Essex 1 honours
### Essex 1 (2004–2009)

The original Essex 1 was a tier 9 league with promotion up to London 4 North East and relegation down to Essex 2.
Essex 1 :
| Season | No of Teams | Champions | Runners–up | Relegated Teams |
| 2003–04 | 10 | Westcliff | Wanstead | Canvey Island |
| 2004–05 | 10 | Wanstead | Upminster | Stanford Le Hope |
| 2005–06 | 10 | Upminster | Canvey Island | Thames |
| 2006–07 | 10 | Billericay | South Woodham Ferrers | Ilford Wanderers II |
| 2007–08 | 10 | Dagenham | Maldon | East London, Millwall |
| 2008–09 | 10 | Wanstead | Campion | Writtle Wanderers, Epping Upper Clapton |
| Green backgrounds are promotion places. |||||||||||

### Essex 1 (2009–2017)

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.
Essex 1 :
| Season | No of Teams | Champions | Runners–up | Relegated Teams |
| 2009–10 | 10 | Campion | Bancroft | Ilford Wanderers |
| 2010–11 | 11 | East London | Millwall | Dagenham, Thames, Brightlingsea |
| 2011–12 | 10 | Old Brentwoods | Maldon | Writtle Wanderers, Pegasus Palmerians |
| 2012–13 | 10 | Campion | Old Cooperians | Burnham-On-Crouch, Millwall |
| 2013–14 | 9 | Billericay | Clacton | No relegation |
| 2014–15 | 11 | May & Baker | Epping Upper Clapton | No relegation |
| 2015–16 | 13 | East London | Ilford Wanderers | No relegation |
| 2016–17 | 16 | Braintree | Canvey Island | No relegation |
| Green backgrounds are promotion places. |||||||||||

### Essex 1 (2017–present)

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.
Essex 1 :
| Season | No of Teams | Champions | Runners–up | Relegated Teams |
| 2017–18 | 16 | Kings Cross Steelers | Ilford Wanderers | No relegation |
| 2018–19 | 10 | Upminster | Mavericks | No relegation |
| 2019–20 | 9 | Dagenham | Canvey Island | No relegation |
| 2020–21 | 9 | | | No relegation |
| 2021-22 | 10 | Maldon | Billericay | |
| Green backgrounds are promotion places. |||||||||||

## Promotion play-offs

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.
Eastern Counties 1 v Essex 1 promotion play-off results :
| Season | Home team | Score | Away team | Venue | Attendance |
| 2004-05 | Crusaders (EC) | 41-24 | Upminster (EX) | Beckhithe, Little Melton, Norfolk | |
| 2005–06 | Canvey Island (EX) | 31-18 | Mersea Island (EC) | Tewkes Creek, Canvey Island, Essex | |
| 2006–07 | Thurston (EC) | 22-33 | South Woodham Ferrers (EX) | Robinson Field, Thurston, Suffolk | |
| 2007–08 | Maldon (EX) | 15-20 | West Norfolk (EC) | Drapers Farm Playing Fields, Heybridge, Essex | |
| 2008–09 | Wisbech (EC) | 38-14 | Campion (EX) | Chapel Road, Wisbech, Cambridgeshire | |
| 2009–10 | Bancroft (EX) | 37-29 | Stowmarket (EC) | Buckhurst Way, Buckhurst Hill, Essex | |
| 2010–11 | Holt (EC) | HWO | Millwall (EX) | Bridge Road, Holt, Norfolk | |
| 2011–12 | Wisbech (EC) | 38-12 | Maldon (EX) | Chapel Road, Wisbech, Cambridgeshire | |
| 2012–13 | Ipswich Y.M. (EC) | 20-27 | Old Cooperians (EX) | The Street, Rushmere St Andrew, Ipswich, Suffolk | |
| 2013–14 | Newmarket (EC) | 17-18 | Clacton (EX) | The NSDA Pavilion, Newmarket, Suffolk | |
| 2014–15 | Epping Upper Clapton (EX) | 36-22 | Ely (EC) | Upland Road, Thornwood, Essex | 400 |
| 2015–16 | 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) |||||||||||

## Number of league titles

* Billericay (2)
* Campion (2)
* East London (2)
* Upminster (2)
* Wanstead (2)
* Braintree (1)
* Dagenham (1)
* Kings Cross Steelers (1)
* Maldon (1)
* May & Baker (1)
* Old Brentwoods (1)
* Westcliff (1)