The only way Essex! is
Chelmsford boys on verge of Championship glory
All Essex eyes will be on Taunton today as Chris Silverwood’s side all but wrapped up their first title in 25 years. Essex need Somerset to beat visitors Lancashire in the south-west after last year’s Division Two champions swept aside Warwickshire inside three days.
It had looked as if Essex could be celebrating on Thursday but the champagne had to be put on ice after Lancashire battled hard to take their game into a final day.
Jamie Porter and Simon Harmer, who have shone all season, were the stars again for Essex though Varun Chopra was gutted to fall just two short of a century.
Chopra, who was returning to Edgbaston having formely captained Warwickshire, admitted he had mixed feelings with the Bears struggling at the foot of the table.
Chopra was part of the Warwickshire side that won the Championship in 2012 and was captain when they won the T20 Blast two years later. But his relationship with director of cricket Dougie Brown soured last year and he was released to join Essex.
Brown subsequently departed from Edgbaston leaving his successor Ashley Giles with an ageing and underperforming squad, while Chopra is enjoying life back with his native county.
Chopra was given a warm welcome back to Edgbaston, but he did his former club no favours on the pitch by making 98 from 181 balls to help Essex build a handy first-innings lead.
“It’s been good to see a lot familiar faces,” Chopra said. “It’s different being back, but by no means awkward or strange. It’s nice to be back, I had the best part of seven years here and some good memories.
“I couldn’t have envisaged how this season has gone when I went back to Essex. At the start of the season we were the bookies’ favourites to go down with Lancashire but we are one and two at the moment.
“We battled hard earlier this season just to find our feet in the division, but we scraped some battling draws early on and once we got our first victory it’s gathered momentum.
“The big win was that pink-ball game against Middlesex where Simon Harmer took a lot of wickets and we won with very little time left on the clock. To beat last year’s champions really gave us belief.”
While Essex have gained confidence as the season has progressed, Warwickshire have looked like condemned men since they launched their campaign with successive innings defeats against Surrey and Yorkshire.
Chopra added: “I’ve still got friends in the Warwickshire side, so it’s not something you want to see. I’m sure that they will rebuild in the next couple of years.
“It’s a massive club and I’m sure that they will be back in Division One at some stage in the future.”