Essex Spartans
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| Established | 1998 (as Essex Spartans) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Based in | Grays | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Home stadium | Thurrock Rugby Football Club | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Head coach | Seán Benton | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| General manager | Raymond Towey | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| League | BAFA National Leagues | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Division | National League South Central | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nickname(s) | The Black Tide | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| League titles | None | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Division titles | None | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Current uniform | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Essex Spartans are an American Football team based in Grays, Essex, England. The team has played under the Spartans name since 1998 following a merger between two local teams and currently play in the BAFA National Leagues, Southern Football Conference 2 East.
Able to trace its history back to 1989, the team has been playing under the Essex Spartans name since the close of the 1998 season when two local rival teams, the Essex Chiefs and the Redbridge Fire, decided to merge. After initial training sessions, the team's numbers were boosted by the demise of the Cambridge Cats (who later reformed).
As both the former teams had been competing at the same level in the British Senior League, the newly formed Spartans were granted a spot in the National Division (which was then the second of the league's three tiers). After winning six of their games (including shutouts against the Canada Life Cardinals and the London Mets, the Spartans finished second in their conference and so qualified for the playoffs. They defeated the Southern Sundevils in the quarter-final, but were finally beaten 19–33 away to the Gateshead Senators.
The 2000 season started badly with two consecutive defeats to the London Blitz, followed by a heavy defeat away to the London O's two matchdays later. In a season which saw the team lose 13 players through injury, the Spartans finished third from bottom of their group with a 2-6 record. However, some consolation was found in some individual player performances, with Steve Berlingo ending the season as the league's leader in interceptions, and Shulba Hunt finishing as the sixth highest rusher in the league.
The Spartans continued to struggle the following season. After five straight defeats (including a forfeited match) coupled with a number of injuries, a few players transferring to other teams and some US armed forces players from a nearby base unable to play, they were forced to withdraw halfway through the season and were realigned into Division Two for the next season.
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