London 3 Essex

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "London 3 Essex" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (January 2018) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

London 3 Essex

Sport	Rugby union
Instituted	2017; 7 years ago (2017)
Number of teams	12
Country	England
Holders	Chelmsford (1st title) (2019–20) (promoted to London 2 North East)
Most titles	Basildon, Chelmsford, Epping Upper Clapton (1 title)
Website	englandrugby.com

London 3 Essex was an English rugby union league at the eighth level of the English rugby union system and was available to club sides based in Essex and north-east London. Promoted teams moved up to London 2 North East with league champions going up automatically and the runners up playing a playoff against the runners up from London 3 Eastern Counties, while demoted teams usually dropped down to Essex Canterbury Jack 1, with new teams also coming up from this league. Each year all clubs in the division also took part in the RFU Senior Vase – a level 8 national competition.

The division was created for the 2017–18 season as part of an RFU reorganization of the London & South East regional league. Originally there had been a London 3 North East league which had involved teams from Essex and north-east London along with teams from the Eastern Counties (Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Suffolk). Due to the distances involved for teams travelling potentially from London to Norfolk and vice versa, at the end of the 2016–17 season this league was discontinued. Teams in Essex and north-east London who had played in London 3 North East were transferred into the new look London 3 Essex along with additional promoted teams from the Essex regional leagues, while the Eastern Counties sides went into another new division called London 3 Eastern Counties.

Following the Rugby Football Union's Adult Competition Review, the league's place in the English rugby union system was taken by Counties 1 Essex, with the teams placed 1st to 10th in 2021–22 London 3 Essex making up the new league.

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.

Team Ground Capacity City/Area Previous season Braintree Robbswood Braintree, Essex 4th Campion Cottons Park Romford, London 8th Canvey Island Tewkes Creek Canvey Island, Essex Promoted from Essex 1 (runners up) Dagenham Central Park Dagenham, London Promoted from Essex 1 (champions) East London Memorial Park West Ham, London 5th Epping Upper Clapton Upland Road Thornwood, Epping, Essex Relegated from London 2 NE (12th) Harlow Latton Park Harlow, Essex 2nd Kings Cross Steelers Memorial Park 500 Plaistow, London 7th Mavericks Warley Playing Field Warley, Brentwood, Essex 9th Old Cooperians Coopers' Company & Corborn School Upminster, London 6th Romford & Gidea Park Crowlands Romford, London Relegated from London 2 NE (10th) Upminster Hall Lane Upminster, London 3rd

Braintree Canvey Island Epping Harlow Mavericks class=notpageimage| Locations of the 2021–22 London 3 Essex teams in Essex Campion Dagenham East London KXS Cooperians R&GP Upminster class=notpageimage| Locations of the 2021–22 London 3 Essex teams in Greater London

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 London 3 Essex was not contested.

Team Ground Capacity City/Area Previous season Barking Goresbrook 1,000 Becontree, London 9th Basildon Gardiners Close Basildon, Essex Relegated from London 2 NE (12th) Braintree Robbswood Braintree, Essex 3rd Campion Cottons Park Romford, London 8th Chelmsford Coronation Park Chelmsford, Essex 4th East London Memorial Park West Ham, London Runners up (lost playoff) Harlow Latton Park Harlow, Essex Relegated from London 2 NE (11th) Ilford Wanderers Ilford Wanderers Sports Ground Ilford, London 5th Kings Cross Steelers Memorial Park 500 Plaistow, London 6th Mavericks Warley Playing Field Warley, Brentwood, Essex Promoted from Essex 1 (runners up) Old Cooperians Coopers' Company & Corborn School Upminster, London 7th Upminster Hall Lane Upminster, London Promoted from Essex 1 (champions)

Basildon Barking Braintree Campion Chelmsford E London Ilford Harlow KXS Mavericks Cooperians Upminster class=notpageimage| Locations of the 2019–20 London 3 Essex teams

Team Ground Capacity City/Area Previous season Barking Goresbrook 1,000 Becontree, London Relegated from London 2 SE (12th) Braintree Robbswood Braintree, Essex 3rd Campion Cottons Park Romford, London 7th Canvey Island Tewkes Creek Canvey Island, Essex 5th Chelmsford RFC Coronation Park Chelmsford, Essex Relegated from London 2 NE (10th) East London Memorial Park West Ham, London 4th Epping Upper Clapton Upland Road Thornwood, Epping, Essex Relegated from London 2 NE (11th) Ilford Wanderers Ilford Wanderers Sports Ground Ilford, London Promoted from Essex 1 (runners up) Kings Cross Steelers Memorial Park 500 Plaistow, London Promoted from Essex 1 (champions) Maldon Drapers Farm Playing Fields Heybridge, Essex 6th Millwall Millwall Park Isle of Dogs, London Runners up (lost playoff) Old Cooperians Coopers' Company & Corborn School Upminster, London Relegated from London 2 NE (12th)

Barking Braintree Campion Canvey Island Chelmsford E London Epping Ilford KXS Maldon Millwall Cooperians class=notpageimage| Locations of the 2018–19 London 3 Essex teams

Team Ground Capacity City/Area Previous season Basildon Gardiners Close Basildon, Essex 8th (London 3 North East) Braintree Robbswood Braintree, Essex Promoted from Essex 1 (champions) Campion Cottons Park Romford, Havering, London Relegated from London 2 North East (12th) Canvey Island Tewkes Creek Canvey Island, Essex Promoted from Essex 1 (runners up) Clacton Valley Road Clacton-on-Sea, Essex Promoted from Essex Jack 1 (4th) East London Memorial Park West Ham, London 3rd (London 3 North East) Maldon Drapers Farm Playing Fields Heybridge, Essex Promoted from Essex 1 (3rd) Mavericks Warley Playing Field Warley, Brentwood, Essex Invited from Essex Merit Leagues Millwall Millwall Park Isle of Dogs, London Promoted from Essex 1 (5th) Upminster Hall Lane Upminster, London 7th (London 3 North East)

Basildon Braintree Campion Canvey Island Clacton East London Maldon Mavericks Millwall Upminster class=notpageimage| Locations of the 2017–18 London 3 Essex teams

London 3 Essex was a tier 8 league with promotion to London 2 North East and relegation to Essex 1.

From the 2017–18 season there was a play-off between the runners-up of London 3 Eastern Counties and London 3 Essex 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 2019–20 season the London 3 Eastern Counties were the most successful with two wins to the London 3 Essex teams none; and the home team won promotion on two occasions compared to the away teams none.

• Essex RFU
• English rugby union system
• Rugby union in England