Merv Hicks

Mervyn J. Hicks (born in 1943 in Crosskeys, Monmouthshire) is a Welsh former rugby union and professional rugby league footballer of the 1960s and 1970s. He played rugby union club football in Wales for the Cross Keys RFC, rugby league club football in Britain for Doncaster, Warrington, St. Helens, Hull, Leeds and Bradford Northern, and in Australia for the Canterbury Bulldogs and North Sydney Bears. Hicks was also selected to play representative football for Great Britain, Commonwealth XIII, and Lancashire.

Early career

After representing Wales Youth Rugby Union as number 8 and captain in 1960 (in the same team as David Watkins), he was 'lured north' to play rugby league for Doncaster (3 appearances 1961) for the sum of £1000, enough to buy several houses in his home village at that time. At 6'2" and 17 stones, his dynamic skills, aggressive defence and size caught the eye of Warrington (24 appearances 1962–64), who paid Doncaster £6000 just a few months later to sign him. The "Wire" converted him from a centre to a hard running ball distributor playing as a second-row or prop.

Merv Hicks (Australian footballer)

Mervyn Ernest "Merv" Hicks (21 August 1936 – 14 December 2013) was an Australian rules footballer who played with Collingwood in the Victorian Football League (VFL).

Hicks was from Numurkah, but was playing with Mooroopna when signed by Collingwood. He played twice for Collingwood in the 1956 VFL season but was unable to get a game over the next two years. On his return, against Footscray in round six of the 1959 season, Hicks was used as a full-forward and kicked five goals. It would however be one of only four games he played that season and he opted to continue his career at Northcote.

He applied for the vacant senior coaching position at South Bendigo for the 1961 season but lost out to Alan McDonald. Instead he was signed by another Bendigo Football League club, Eaglehawk, as their first choice, Geelong's Les Borrack had been unable to get a transfer from his employers. In his first season at Eaglehawk he topped the league's goal-kicking with 64 goals.

Merv

Merv (Turkmen: Merw, Persian: مرو‎‎, Marv), formerly Achaemenid Satrapy of Margiana, and later Alexandria (Ἀλεξάνδρεια) and Antiochia in Margiana (Greek: Ἀντιόχεια τῆς Μαργιανῆς), was a major oasis-city in Central Asia, on the historical Silk Road, located near today's Mary in Turkmenistan.

Several cities have existed on this site, which is significant for the interchange of culture and politics at a site of major strategic value. It is claimed that Merv was briefly the largest city in the world in the 12th century. The site of ancient Merv has been listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. (See List of World Heritage Sites in Turkmenistan)

History

Merv's origins are prehistoric: archaeological surveys have revealed many traces of village life as far back as the 3rd millennium BC and that the city was culturally part of the Bactria-Margiana Archaeological Complex. Under the name of Mouru, Merv is mentioned with Balkh in the geography of the Zend-Avesta (commentaries on the Avesta). Mouru was among the sixteen perfect lands created by Ahura Mazda.

Merv (disambiguation)

Merv often refers to the Central Asian city: Merv.

It may also refer to the historical Merv (East Syrian Ecclesiastical Province)

People

Merv may be a nickname for Mervin or Mervyn, variants of Marvin:

Merv (East Syrian Ecclesiastical Province)

Merv was a metropolitan province of the Church of the East between the fifth and eleventh centuries, with several known suffragan dioceses.

Background

At least one East Syrian diocese in Khorasan existed by the beginning of the fifth century, though it was not assigned to a metropolitan province in 410. After establishing five metropolitan provinces in Mesopotamia, Canon XXI of the synod of Isaac provided that 'the bishops of the more remote dioceses of Fars, of the Islands, of Beth Madaye, of Beth Raziqaye and of the country of Abrashahr must accept the definition established in this council at a later date'. By implication, Abrashahr (Nishapur) already had a bishop at this period.

Four East Syrian dioceses in Khorasan and Segestan are attested a few years later. The bishops Bar Shaba of Merv, David of Abrashahr, Yazdoï of Herat and Aphrid of Segestan were present at the synod of Dadishoʿ in 424. The uncommon name of the bishop of Merv, Bar Shaba, means 'son of the deportation', suggesting that Merv's Christian community may have been deported from Roman territory.