Essex () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London and is one of the most populous counties in England. Essex County Council is the principal local authority for much of the county, sharing functions with twelve district councils. The county town is Chelmsford. The southern Essex boroughs of Thurrock and Southend-on-Sea are governed separately as unitary authorities. It was established in antiquity and formed the eastern portion of the Kingdom of Essex. Sections of the county closer to London are part of the Metropolitan Green Belt, which prohibits development. It is the location of the regionally significant Lakeside Shopping Centre and London Stansted Airport; and the new towns of Basildon and Harlow.

History

Toponomy

The name Essex originates in the Anglo-Saxon period of the Early Middle Ages and has its root in the Old English Ēastseaxe (i.e. the "East Saxons"), the eastern kingdom of the Saxons.

Ancient origins

In pre-Roman Britain the territories of Suffolk and Essex were home to the Trinovantes tribe, which had grown wealthy through intensive trade with the Roman Empire, contemporary to the decline of Atlantic sea trade as roads and better in-land trade-routes were established in Romanized Gaul. Catuvellaunian and Trinovantian territory was the first to be annexed by the Roman Emperor Claudius in AD 43 when he began his invasion of Britain (Cunliffe, 2001). Colchester was the capital of the province of Britannia, but was attacked and destroyed during Boudica's rebellion in AD 61. Sometime after the destruction, London became the capital of the province of Britannia.

The East Saxon lands bordered those of the Angle peoples of East Anglia (the latter comprising Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire). The Kingdom of Essex was traditionally founded by Aescwine in 527 AD, occupying territory to the north of the River Thames, incorporating much of what would later become Middlesex and Hertfordshire, though its territory was later restricted to lands east of the River Lee. Colchester in the north east of the county is Britain's oldest recorded town, dating back to before the Roman conquest, when it was known as Camulodunum, and was sufficiently well-developed to have its own mint. Subsequently the Kingdom of Essex was subsumed into the Kingdom of England and Essex eventually became a county.

Modern period

Essex County Council was formed in 1889. However, the County Borough of West Ham, and from 1915 the County Borough of East Ham, formed part of the county but were not under county council control. A few parishes were transferred to other counties at this time; parts of Haverhill, Kedington, and Ballingdon-with-Brundon went to Suffolk, and Great & Little Chishill and Heydon to Cambridgeshire. Southend-on-Sea also formed a county borough from 1914 to 1974.

The boundary with Greater London was established in 1965 when East Ham and West Ham county boroughs and the Barking, Chingford, Dagenham, Hornchurch, Ilford, Leyton, Romford, Walthamstow and Wanstead and Woodford districts The last two boroughs are unitary authorities which form part of the county but are not administered by the county council. Essex Police also covers the two unitary authorities.

County council

The county council was formed in 1889, and it meets at the County Hall, in Chelmsford. Before 1938, it regularly met in London near Moorgate, which had been more convenient than any place in the county. It currently has 75 elected councillors. Before 1965, the number of councillors reached over 100. The County Hall, which dates largely from the mid-1930s, and is decorated with fine artworks of that period, mostly the gift of the family who owned the textile firm, Courtaulds, was made a listed building in 2007. The Essex County Council is currently controlled by the Conservative Party. The chairman of the county council 2006-08 was Gerard McEwen of Norton Mandeville near Ongar, and since May 2008, Elizabeth ("Bonnie") Hart, of Hockley.

In November 2008, the council advertised in the European Journal for a private sector "delivery partner" to provide a wide range (and potentially all) of its services. The value of such a contract could amount to £5.4 billion. The arguments advanced in favour of such a step include better service quality and greater efficiency. However, critics including the council's opposition leader have complained of zero consultation before launching this procurement. The council nevertheless hopes to choose a partner before the elections scheduled for June 2009.

The county council has until recently had a partnership with the British Telecom company which has generated a debate locally about the effectiveness of such arrangements. In January 2009, the council's cabinet decided to terminate this contract early. The trade union Unison has questioned the council's competence in managing major private sector contracts. Press reports indicate that BT are considering taking legal action against the council. Unison estimate that the cost to the taxpayer of early termination could be as much as £50m.

The political composition of the county council is as follows.

Geography

The highest point of the county of Essex is Chrishall Common near the village of Langley, close to the Hertfordshire border, which reaches . The ceremonial county of Essex is bounded to the south by the River Thames and its estuary (a boundary shared with Kent County); to the southwest by Greater London; to the west by Hertfordshire with the boundary largely defined by the River Lee and the Stort; to the northwest by Cambridgeshire; to the north by Suffolk County, a boundary mainly defined by the River Stour; and to the east by the North Sea.

The pattern of settlement in the county is diverse. The Metropolitan Green Belt has effectively prevented the further sprawl of London into the county, although it contains the new towns of Basildon and Harlow, originally developed to resettle Londoners following the destruction of London housing in World War II but since much expanded. Epping Forest also acts as a protected barrier to the further spread of London. Because of its proximity to London and the economic magnetism which that city exerts, many of Essex's settlements, particularly those on or within driving distance of railway stations, function as dormitory towns or villages where London workers raise their families.

in north Essex]] Part of the south east of the county, already containing the major population centres of Southend and Thurrock, is within the Thames Gateway and designated for further development. Parts of the south west of the county such as Buckhurst Hill and Chigwell are contiguous with Greater London and are included in the Greater London Urban Area. A small part of the south west of the county (Sewardstone), is the only settlement outside Greater London to be covered by a postcode district of the London post town (). To the north of the green belt, with the exception of major towns such as Colchester and Chelmsford, the county is rural, with many small towns, villages and hamlets largely built in the traditional materials of timber and brick, with clay tile or thatched roofs.

Economy

This is a chart of trend of regional gross value added of Essex at current basic prices published (pp. 240–253) by Office for National Statistics with figures in millions of Pounds Sterling.

The Lakeside Shopping Centre at Thurrock was one of England's first out-of-town shopping centres, and remains popular despite congestion on the nearby M25 motorway and direct competition from Bluewater Shopping Centre.

Industry is largely limited to the south of the county, with the majority of the land elsewhere being given over to agriculture. Harlow is a centre for electronics, science and pharmaceutical companies, while Chelmsford is the home of Marconi (now called telent plc and owned by Ericsson of Sweden since 2005), and Brentwood home to the Ford Motor Company's European HQ. Loughton is home to a production facility for British and foreign banknotes. Chelmsford has been an important location for electronics companies since the industry was born, and is also the location for a number of insurance and financial services organisations, and is the home of the soft drinks producer Britvic. Other businesses in the county are dominated by light engineering and the service sector. Colchester is a garrison town, and the local economy is helped by the Army's personnel living there.

Parts of Eastern Essex suffer from high levels of deprivation, with the most highly deprived wards being in Clacton and Southend. In the Indices of deprivation 2007, Jaywick was identified as the most deprived Lower Super Output Area in Southern England. Unemployment was estimated at 44% and many homes were found to severely lack basic amenities. The Brooklands and Grasslands area of Jaywick were found to be the third most deprived area in England, only Liverpool and Manchester rated higher. In contrast though, South West Essex is a mostly affluent part of Eastern England because the area forms part of the London commuter belt. South West Essex has a large middle class presence and the area is widely known for its Independent schools. In 2008 the Daily Telegraph found Brentwood and Ingatestone to be the 19th and 14th richest towns in the UK respectively.

Transport

The main airport in Essex is London Stansted Airport, serving destinations in Europe and Asia. The Lib-Con coalition government formed in May 2010 has agreed to resist an additional runway at Stansted, so curtailing the operator's ambitions for expansion. Southend Airport, once one of Britain's busiest airports, is undergoing rebuilding, and offers limited passenger flights each summer to the Channel Islands; a new railway station is nearly complete on the airport's eastern boundary and a runway extension will then be built in a south-westerly direction. There are several smaller airfields, some of which owe their origins to military bases built during World War I or World War II. These are popular for pleasure flights or flying lessons; examples include Clacton Airfield, Earls Colne Airfield, and Stapleford Aerodrome.

The Port of Tilbury is one of Britain's three major ports, while the port of Harwich links the county to the Hook of Holland and Esbjerg. A service to Cuxhaven closed in December 2005. Plans have been approved to build the UK's largest container terminal at Shell Haven in Thurrock and although opposed by the local authority and environmental and wildlife organisations now seem increasingly likely to be developed. spanning the Thames from West Thurrock, Essex, to Dartford, Kent]] Despite the existence of the Dartford Road Crossing to Dartford, Kent, across the Thames River, a ferry for pedestrians to Gravesend, Kent, still operates from Tilbury during limited daily hours, and ferries for pedestrians operate across some of Essex's rivers and estuaries during spring and summer. The M25 motorway and M11 motorway both cross the county in the extreme east linking east Essex with Kent Hertfordshire and Cambridge. The A127 and A13 trunk roads are important radial routes connecting London and the M25 to the south of Essex. The A12 runs across the county from the south west to the north east and not only carries traffic within Essex but also traffic between London and Suffolk, east Norfolk and the ports of Felixstowe and Harwich.

There is an extensive public transport network. The main railway routes in Essex include two lines from the City of London to Southend-on-Sea, operated by c2c from Fenchurch Street railway station (including a route via Tilbury) and by National Express East Anglia from Liverpool Street station; the Great Eastern Main Line from Liverpool Street connecting to Harwich and onwards into Suffolk and Norfolk; and the West Anglia Main Line from Liverpool Street linking to Stansted and onwards into Cambridgeshire. The Epping Forest district is served by the London Underground Central Line. The routes operated by National Express East Anglia (formerly known as "One") and c2c, are both owned by National Express. There are also a number of branch lines including the Sunshine Coast Line linking Colchester to the seaside resorts of Clacton-on-Sea and Walton-on-the-Naze via the picturesque towns of Wivenhoe and Great Bentley. The Crouch Valley Line, another branch line, links Wickford to a number of riverside communities via South Woodham Ferrers and Burnham-on-Crouch to Southminster.

South Essex Rapid Transit is a proposed public transport scheme which would provide a fast, reliable public transport service in, and between, Thurrock, Basildon and Southend.

Education

Education in Essex is substantially provided by three authorities being Essex County Council and the two unitary authorities, Southend-on-Sea and Thurrock. In all there are some 90 state secondary schools provided by these authorities, the majority of which are comprehensive, although one in Uttlesford, two in Chelmsford, two in Colchester and four in Southend-on-Sea are selective. There are also various Independent Schools providing education in Essex.

Culture

's 1611 Saxon Heptarchy).]] The County's coat of arms comprises three Saxon seax knives (although looking rather more like scimitars) arranged on a red background; the three-seax device is also used as the official logo of Essex County Council having been granted as such in 1932. The emblem was attributed to Anglo-Saxon Essex in Early Modern historiography. The earliest reference the arms of the East Saxon kings was by Richard Verstegan, the author of A Restitution of Decayed Intelligence (Antwerp, 1605), claiming that "Erkenwyne king of the East-Saxons did beare for his armes, three [seaxes] argent, in a field gules". There is no earlier evidence substantiating Verstegan's claim, which is an anachronism for the Anglo-Saxon period seeing that heraldry only evolved in the 12th century, well after the Norman conquest. John Speed in his Historie of Great Britaine (1611) follows Verstegan in his descriptions of the arms of Erkenwyne, but he qualifies the statement by adding "as some or our heralds have emblazed". Samuel Bensusan and others have suggested that if Essex had a county bird, it would be the lapwing (known locally as the peewit) whose lonely cry characterises the Essex marshes known as saltings.

Essex is also home to the Dunmow Flitch Trials a traditional ceremony that takes place every four years and consists of a test of a married couples devotion to one another. A common claim of the origin of the Dunmow Flitch dates back to 1104 and the Augustinian Priory of Little Dunmow, founded by Lady Juga Baynard. Lord of the Manor Reginald Fitzwalter and his wife dressed themselves as humble folk and begged blessing of the Prior a year and a day after marriage. The Prior, impressed by their devotion bestowed upon them a Flitch of Bacon. Upon revealing his true identity, Fitzwalter gave his land to the Priory on the condition a Flitch should be awarded to any couple who could claim they were similarly devoted. By the 14th century, the Dunmow Flitch Trials had achieved far-reaching notoriety. The author William Langland, who lived on the Welsh borders, mentions it in his 1362 book 'The Vision of Piers Plowman' in a manner that implies general knowledge of the custom among his readers.

Most English counties have nicknames for people from that county, such as a Tyke from Yorkshire and a Yellowbelly from Lincolnshire; the traditional nickname for a person from Essex is an Essex Calf, so named because the county was famous for rearing beef cattle for sale in London meat markets; calves from the county were famed for their large size and known as 'Essex lions'. Essex is known for being the origin of the political term Essex man, and of the Essex girl joke.

Notable musicians such as Alison Moyet and the electronic dance music group The Prodigy hail from Essex.

Sport

The county is also home to three Football League clubs, , Dagenham & Redbridge FC (situated in the London Borough of Barking & Dagenham) and . Non-league football clubs Chelmsford City, Braintree Town and Thurrock who compete in the Conference South are also based in Essex.

The county also has a successful cricket team in the Cricket County Championship. They have won the Championship six times and other one day cricket trophies. England's leading Test Match run scorer Graham Gooch played for the county between 1973 and 1997.

Cultural references

The satirical puppet show Spitting Image once produced a song titled "Essex is Crap", claiming it was the only UK county with no redeeming features, and describing it as "a boil on the bum of the nation" and "where Page 3 girls buy their mum a bungalow".

"Essex Dogs" was the title of a 1997 Blur song.

Essex Boys was the title of a 2000 film starring Sean Bean about the demise of a group of Essex gangsters.

Essex Wives was a 2002 LWT reality TV series starring Jodie Marsh.

The Only Way Is Essex

Landmarks

Over 14,000 buildings have listed status in the county, and around 1000 of those are recognised as of Grade I or II* importance. The buildings range from the 7th century Saxon church of St Peter-on-the-Wall, to the Royal Corinthian Yacht Club which was the United Kingdom's entry in the "International Exhibition of Modern Architecture" held at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City in 1932.

Places of interest

Abberton Reservoir

Arena Essex Raceway

Ashingdon (The site of the Battle of Ashingdon in 1016)

Audley End

Clacton-On-Sea

Colchester Castle Colchester Zoo Colne Valley Railway East Anglian Railway Museum

Epping Forest

Frinton-on-Sea

Great Bentley Home to the Largest Village green in England

Harlow New Town

Hedingham Castle

Ingatestone Hall

Kelvedon Hatch (Secret Nuclear Bunker)

Maldon Historic market town site of the Battle of Maldon

Mangapps Railway Museum (Burnham-on-Crouch)

Marsh Farm Country Park

Mersea Island

Mistley towers

Mountfitchet Castle

North Weald Airfield

Orsett Hall

St Peter-on-the-Wall Saffron Walden

Southend Pier

Thaxted

University of Essex (Wivenhoe Park, Colchester)

Waltham Abbey

Notable persons

See :Category:People from Essex.

Sister counties and regions

Jiangsu, China Picardy, France Thuringia, Germany Henrico County, Virginia Accra, Ghana

See also

The Earl of Essex

Q Camp : WWII camp in Essex

List of civil parishes in England

Notes and references

External links

Visit Essex

Essex County Council

Seax - Essex Archives Online

Digital Images of Essex

Essex Registration Service

Dunmow Flitch Trials

Essex Gigs 2010

BBC Essex

British History Online

Essex Forums

Essex Churches

Category:Non-metropolitan counties

Name	David Essex
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	David Albert Cook
Born	July 23, 1947
Origin	Plaistow London
Genre	Pop, Musical theatre
Instrument	Vocal
Years active	1971–present
Label	Columbia RecordsLamplight Records
Url	www.davidessex.com

David Essex OBE (born David Albert Cook, 23 July 1947) His father was an East End dock worker and his mother was a self-taught pianist and an Irish Traveller. His grandfather was named 'Philimore' which was the anglicised version of 'Philly Mor' - being Irish for 'Big Philly'. Essex was two years old when his parents moved out of the overcrowded home the family was sharing with relatives, to Canning Town where he grew up. Essex attended Star Lane Primary School, he loved playing football and did not answer any of the questions in the Eleven plus exam for entry into a Grammar School, so that he could ensure he attended Shipman County Secondary School where he knew they played the game. He was also a member of West Ham United Juniors for a while and dreamed of one day being a professional player. He then also became interested in music and played drums with a local band, before becoming a singer.

Early career

He made his first record entitled "And The Tears Came Tumblin' Down" for the Decca label in 1963. He then toured with a band called 'David Essex and the Mood Indigo' for two years. His first notable acting role aside from small appearances in the films Assault and All Coppers Are... was the lead in the stage musical, Godspell in 1971 at the age of 23. Two years later, he starred in the film That'll Be The Day (1973) and recorded his only international hit single, the self penned "Rock On", in the same year. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc by the R.I.A.A. in March 1974. A second single, "Lamplight", also reached the Top 10 in the UK Singles Chart.

In the 1970s, Essex emerged as a performer of some note. His biggest hits during this decade included two UK Number One singles: "Gonna Make You a Star" (1974), and "Hold Me Close" (1975). He also appeared in Stardust, a 1974 sequel to That'll Be The Day; the title song was another Top 10 hit. In 1976, Essex covered the Beatles song, “Yesterday”, for the musical documentary All This and World War II.

Essex's pop idol looks gave him a strong female fan base and his British tours created scenes of hysteria reminiscent of Beatlemania. According to The Guinness Book of British Hit Singles - 16th Edition - ISBN 0-85112-190-X, he was voted the number one British male vocalist in 1974, and was a teen idol for more than a decade'.

Musical roles

In December 1973, Essex appeared in the stage version of Tommy at London's Rainbow Theatre.

In 1978, he appeared on Jeff Wayne's concept album, a musical version of The War of the Worlds, as the Artilleryman. In the UK the two-record set remains a bestseller.

In the same year, Essex played the character Che, loosely based on Che Guevara, in the original production of the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical Evita, and his recording of the show's "Oh What a Circus" reached Number 3. Two years later, he starred in the film Silver Dream Racer; and the soundtrack song "Silver Dream Machine" was yet another Top 10 hit in the UK Singles Chart.

In 1985, he co-wrote and starred as Fletcher Christian in the West End musical Mutiny!, based on the novel Mutiny on the Bounty by Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall. The score produced two more hit singles, including "Tahiti," his tenth Top 10 success.

Essex continued to perform in all areas of show business, to varying degrees of success. A 1988 sitcom, "The River", achieved good ratings. In 1991, a compilation entitled His Greatest Hits reached Number 13; a 1993 album, Cover Shot, featuring a cover version of the Buzz Cason/Mac Gayden song "Everlasting Love", peaked at Number 3. His autobiography, A Charmed Life, was published in 2002, and became a bestseller.

In 1999, Essex was named an Officer of the Order of the British Empire. He still tours the UK on a yearly basis and releases albums through his website. Despite his long and successful British career, he remains largely unknown in the United States. "Rock On" reached Number 5 in 1974, and was his only US Billboard Top 40 hit single.

Essex, who comes from a family of Irish travellers, portrayed a kind-hearted gypsy in one episode of ITV1's 1960s Yorkshire-based drama Heartbeat in 2000. Essex told Jake Bowers of the BBC's Rokker Radio, a programme for Gypsies and Travellers, on 30 July 2006, that he has always been openly proud of his Traveller roots, but that having moved to the US, Essex has said he feels it inappropriate for him to continue as Patron of Britain's National Gypsy Council, which works for equal rights, education, and services for Romany and Irish Travellers. Also that year, he appeared in the Channel 4 documentary Bring Back...The Christmas Number One.

Essex was due to join the cast of soap opera EastEnders, in early 2006, as new character Jack Edwards. However, the role was expanded beyond the three weeks planned, and Essex was unable to commit the time. The role instead went to Nicky Henson.

A model and recording of Essex is featured in the museum of West Ham United Football Club. In the recording, he explains his reasons for supporting West Ham and his love of the team.

Essex spent six years as an ambassador for Voluntary Service Overseas, which earned him an OBE in 1999. "That was a big day. I took my two eldest kids, and me mum even went out and bought a hat".

Present

Essex used to record and release records on his own 'Lamplight' record label. He has since changed the name of his company to Joseph Webster Music Ltd, named after his first grandchild. He tours regularly and still treads the boards, recently appearing in Boogie Nights 2, Footloose and Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical Aspects Of Love. From September 2008 to the summer of 2009 he took his own musical, All The Fun Of The Fair, on a tour of the United Kingdom. He followed this in the autumn with a sell out tour of the UK, named the Secret Tour. Essex has released a DVD on his website [www.davidessex.com] of the last night of the tour, filmed in Bournemouth. He returned to London's West End with All The Fun Of The Fair.

In 2010, Essex married Welsh actress Susan Hallam-Wright at St Cross Church, Talybont, near Bangor, Wales.

UK discography

Singles

"Rock On" - 1973 - Number 3

"Lamplight" - 1973 - Number 7

"America" - 1974 - Number 32

"Gonna Make You a Star" - 1974 - Number 1

"Stardust" - 1975 - Number 7

"Rolling Stone" - 1975 - Number 5

"Hold Me Close" - 1975 - Number 1

"If I Could" - 1975 - Number 13

"City Lights" - 1976 - Number 24

"Coming Home" - 1976 - Number 24

"Cool Out Tonight" - 1977 - Number 23

"Stay With Me Baby" - 1978 - Number 45

"Oh What A Circus" - 1978 - Number 3

"Brave New World" - 1978 - Number 55

"Imperial Wizard" - 1979 - Number 32

"Silver Dream Machine (Part 1)" - 1980 - Number 4

"Hot Love" - 1980 - Number 57

"Me And My Girl (Night-Clubbing)" - 1982 - Number 13

"A Winter's Tale" - 1982 - Number 2

"The Smile" - 1983 - Number 52

"Tahiti (From 'Mutiny In The Bounty')" - 1983 - Number 8

"You're In My Heart" - 1983 - Number 59

"Fishing For The Moon" - 1984 - Number 76

"Welcome" - 1984 - Number 80

"Fallen Angels Riding" - 1985 - Number 29

"Friends" - 1985

"Myfanwy" - 1987 - Number 41

"The River" - 1988

"Rock On" (remix) - 1989

"The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore" - 1989

"True Love Ways" - 1994 (with Catherine Zeta Jones) - Number 38

Albums

Rock On - 1973 - Number 7

David Essex - 1974 - Number 2

All The Fun Of The Fair - 1975 - Number 4

On Tour - 1976 - Number 51

Out On The Street - 1976 - Number 31

Gold and Ivory - 1977 - Number 29

David Essex Album - 1979 - Number 29

Imperial Wizard - 1979 - Number 12

Hot Love - 1980 - Number 75

Silver Dream Racer - 1980 Be-Bop the Future - 1981

Stage-Struck - 1982 - Number 31

The Very Best Of David Essex - 1982 - Number 32

The Whisper - 1983 This One's For You - 1984

Central Stage - 1987

Living in England - 1995

A Night at the Movies - 1997 - Number 14

I Still Believe - 1999

Thank You - 2000

Wonderful - 2001

Theatre Of Dreams - 2001

Forever - 2001

Sunset - 2003

It's Gonna Be Alright - 2004

Greatest Hits - 2006

Beautiful Day - 2006

Happy Ever After - 2007

All The Fun Of The Fair - Greatest Hits - 2008 - UK #23

Selected filmography

Smashing Time (1967)

Assault (1971)

All Coppers Are... (1972)

That'll Be the Day (1973)

Stardust (1974)

The Big Bus (1976)

Silver Dream Racer (1980)

Tribe (2011)

References

External links

Official David Essex website

David Essex Myspace page

Allthefunofthefair.com

Jeff Wayne's "The War Of The Worlds" 1978

Andrew Lloyd Webber's Evita, song "Oh What a Circus" by David Essex

David Essex to appear in "Aspects Of Love" a new musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber

Saint Etienne: Tales From Turnpike House released: 13 June 2005

former patron of the Gypsy Council in Britain

David Essex awarded the OBE in 1999 in recognition of his charity work with Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO)

Essex starred in and wrote score for movie "Silver Dream Racer"

A Charmed Life: The Autobiography of David Essex - published 2002 (Orion)

"Essex played Fletcher Christian in his own musical Mutiny! (co-written with Richard Crane) which played at the Piccadilly Theatre for sixteen months

Category:English pop singers Category:English male singers Category:English musical theatre actors Category:English songwriters Category:English people of Irish descent Category:English television actors Category:Officers of the Order of the British Empire Category:People from Plaistow Category:1947 births Category:Living people

Playername	Graham Napier
Country	England
Fullname	Graham Richard Napier
Nickname	Plank, George
Living	true
Dayofbirth	6
Monthofbirth	1
Yearofbirth	1980
Placeofbirth	Colchester, Essex
Countryofbirth	England
Heightft	5
Heightinch	10
Batting	Right handed
Bowling	Right arm Fast
Role	All-rounder
Club1	Essex
Year1	1997–present
Clubnumber1	17
Club2	Wellington
Year2	2007/08
Club3	Central District Stags
Year3	2009/10
Clubnumber3	8
Club4	MCC
Year4	2004
Club5	Mumbai Indians
Year5	2009–present
Clubnumber5	17
Type1	First-class
Debutdate1	7 May
Debutyear1	1997
Debutfor1	Essex
Debutagainst1	Cambridge University
Lastdate1	23 September
Lastyear1	2009
Lastfor1	Essex
Lastagainst1	Derbyshire County Cricket Club
Type2	List A
Debutdate2	10 August
Debutyear2	1997
Debutfor2	Essex
Debutagainst2	Kent
Lastdate2	19 July
Lastyear2	2009
Lastfor2	Essex
Lastagainst2	Gloucestershire
Deliveries	balls
Columns	4
Column1	FC
Matches1	99
Runs1	3,283
Bat avg1	30.68
100s/50s1	3/20
Top score1	125
Deliveries1	12,687
Wickets1	207
Bowl avg1	37.94
Fivefor1	3
Tenfor1	0
Best bowling1	6/103
Catches/stumpings1	38/–
Column2	List A
Matches2	185
Runs2	2.251
Bat avg2	18.00
100s/50s2	0/11
Top score2	79
Deliveries2	6,002
Wickets2	205
Bowl avg2	24.79
Fivefor2	1
Tenfor2	n/a
Best bowling2	6-29
Catches/stumpings2	40/–
Column3	T20
Matches3	55
Runs3	641
Bat avg3	18,80
100s/50s3	1/0
Top score3	152*
Deliveries3	1134
Wickets3	70
Bowl avg3	19.80
Fivefor3	0
Tenfor3	n/a
Best bowling3	4/10
Catches/stumpings3	14/–
Column4	U19 T
Matches4	4
Runs4	138
Bat avg4	23.00
100s/50s4	0/0
Top score4	40
Deliveries4	192
Wickets4	2
Bowl avg4	69.50
Fivefor4	0
Tenfor4	0
Best bowling4	1-10
Catches/stumpings4	1/–
Date	27 September
Year	2009
Source	http://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/7/7201/7201.html cricketarchive

Graham Richard Napier (born 6 January 1980 in Colchester, Essex) is an English cricketer. He is a right-handed batsman and a right-arm fast bowler. Napier has played first-class cricket for his home county of Essex since the outset of his senior career in 1997. Between 1997 and 1999 Napier played in four Youth Test matches in England against Zimbabwe, South Africa (twice) and Australia's respective under-19 teams. He was also a member of the 1998 U-19 Cricket World Cup-winning squad.

Twenty 20

Napier participated in the 2003, 2004 and 2006 Twenty20 Cups, in which he aided his Essex team to the 2004 Quarter Finals.

In a Twenty20 cup match against Sussex on 24 June 2008, Napier scored 152 not out from 58 balls. The innings set a number of records, notably the highest individual score in a T20 innings in England, and in the domestic Twenty20 competition; the highest number of sixes in an individual Twenty20 innings (16); the most runs scored in boundaries in an individual Twenty20 innings (136 runs, scored as 10 fours, and 16 sixes). It also broke the record for most sixes in a domestic one-day innings, and tied the record for most sixes in any domestic innings, tying the record set by Andrew Symonds, during a County Championship game in 1995.

He was signed by the Mumbai Indians for the 2009 IPL Season for an undisclosed amount.

In March 2009, Napier was called up to the England Lions squad for the first time since 2004. Geoff Miller, one of the selectors, said "the selectors felt this was a good opportunity for us to have a closer look at him within the England set-up". On 1 May 2009, Napier was confirmed as a member of the 15 man England squad for the 2009 Twenty20 World Cup on the same day as he made his first appearance for the Mumbai Indians.

References

External links

Graham Napier at Cricket Archive

Graham Napier's Official Website

Category:1980 births Category:English cricketers Category:Living people Category:Essex cricketers Category:Twenty20 Cup centurions Category:Wellington cricketers Category:Central Districts cricketers Category:Essex Cricket Board cricketers Category:Mumbai (Indian Premier League) cricketers Category:MCC cricketers