FORMER England cricket captain Graham Gooch was publicly recognised for his commitment to Essex yesterday when he was awarded an honorary doctorate by Anglia Ruskin University.

FORMER England cricket captain Graham Gooch was publicly recognised for his commitment to Essex yesterday when he was awarded an honorary doctorate by Anglia Ruskin University.

He joined more than 1,400 university students who are graduating during five days of ceremonies at Chelmsford Cathedral.

Gooch was honoured for his long and dedicated contribution to county cricket in Essex and his illustrious and international record as a successful test captain of England.

In 1991 he guided Essex to its fifth county championship and was awarded an OBE. He retired from test cricket in 1995, after winning a record 118 caps for England. In 1997 he announced the end of his playing career.

More recently, he has acted as Essex Country Cricket Club's head coach and is currently its ambassador and batting coach.

Also receiving an honorary fellowship yesterday was Roger Shilling for his distinguished service to the university as senior academic administrator and for his sustained contributions to church and charitable organisations in Essex.

On Saturday, Andrew Pike, chief executive of the Mid-Essex Hospital Services NHS Trust, will collect an honorary doctorate. A university spokesman said he had become recognised as an outstanding leader and the driving force behind the trust's improvements and proposals to centralise services.

Recently, he has been closely associated with developments with the university to identify opportunities for joint working between the two organisations, particularly in the areas of medical and healthcare education, clinical research and support services.

Among the graduates will be a group of 120 remotely-based student researchers who have undertaken a pioneering BA (Hons) learning technology research degree course which is helping to take online learning into the mainstream.

The class of “virtual learners”, who will be meeting face to face for the very first time, have based their study on their very own working practices. Ultralab, the university's learning research division, has been working hard to explore new approaches to e-learning as a part of its commitment to expanding access to higher education.