Why do you play the English opening?

up til about a year ago i played the English exclusively.  The reason?

Easy to learn.

Flexible.

Doesnt require a lot of theory.

How does a reversed Closed Sicilian play against the English?

The english opening is not played by many other players, so sometimes it gives you an advantage because they aren't used to playing the english opening. Also, Why did you mention 1. Nf3 and not 1.e4???? The english opening is so different from the reti, kings, and queens, it's a whole new way of playing chess

to be honest, I find that it does not play as well. I usually would just go 3. g3 and it poses black with an extremely difficult situation

How so?

True, Black is a tempo down but, as the thinking goes, it's a closed position so the extra tempo for White does not count so heavily against Black.

because there are many things white can transpose into from the closed position, forcing black to be dangerously careful and conservative in the opening.

Such as...?

I would find some specifics helpful.

I can look at the Game Explorer and see the statistics for the reversed Closed Sicilian against 1.c4 are about the same as the Black side of the Ruy Lopez. Yes, White has an opening advantage as White typically does, yet no one describes the Ruy as posing Black "with an extremely difficult position" and "forcing black to be dangerously careful and conservative in the opening."

I'm particularly wondering how the reversed Closed Sicilian works in amateur play. Do White players see it much? Does it cross up White's expectations for the more typical English games?

Here's a screencap from ChessBase on the Reversed Closed Sicilian:

It appears White's best shot is the accelerated queenside expansion with 5. Rb1, which makes sense since White is a tempo up. That's what I would worry about as Black, since it's a good enough plan in the regular Closed Sicilian.

The other plan is the Botvinnik setup with c4/d3/e4 which is also good in the regular Closed Sicilian.

I would say that by those four moves, the main theoretical problem of the closed sicilian aproach, an early d4, as already passed. A lot of club players playing the english are not dynamic players, so don't think the extra tempo will be especially significant, particularly when play isn't directed against your king. 

A recent book from chess stars recommends 1.c4 e5 and using the keres line with c6, and d5, or closed variation, depending on white's move order. Haven't seem it yet but Delchev's books are usually reasonable.

Edit actually I was wrong recommends bb4 lines, with the c6 and d5 ones

As a closed sicilian player I intend on meeting the english the same way if I see it, though I'll have to get more familiar with the varied possible setups from white, mainly the botvinnik.

As I see it, Black is taking a sort of King's Indian approach with the Reversed Closed Sicilian -- a dynamic, imbalanced game with pressure building towards a kingside attack, but no guarantees.

I don't live and die by GM practice but I am encouraged the RCS has adherents at that level.

At the class level I should think Black will be on more familiar ground than White in the Reversed Closed Sicilian.