Silverwood’s dream awakens Essex slumber

There is an air of quiet satisfaction at Chelmsford, the morning after Essex sealed their return to the top division of the Championship. Chris Silverwood, the head coach, is in great demand, while club legends such as Graham Gooch, John Lever and Nasser Hussain can be spotted on their peregrinations, shaking hands and exchanging nods. Former captain Brian “Tonker” Taylor, at the venerable age of 84, was said to have commandeered a taxi to come to the ground.

The players had been allowed a minor knees up the night before, sitting on the team balcony and belting out a few numbers, although celebrations will begin in earnest at the conclusion of their match against Glamorgan – and possibly once again after the presentation of the Division Two trophy at Canterbury next week. Promotion secure, the hard work done, Essex are heading in the right direction again. As Hussain jokingly puts it: “The home of cricket is back.”

It will take a lot more hard work for them to stay in Division One, not that anybody here is about to dispute that. Essex have been promoted on three occasions since two divisions were instated only to be relegated immediately each time. But ambitions have been awakened – “I don’t just want to compete up there, I want to beat people,” Silverwood says – and the planning to avert a similar fate next year begins almost straight away.

“I like dreaming,” Silverwood says, the twinkle in his eye discernible despite the presence of shades. “I say to the guys, dream and dream big and have the courage to chase it. That’s what we’re doing out there. The dream of playing for England, the dream of winning trophies and being successful. Let’s chase it, let’s have a go.”

Even as the T20 debate seemingly takes a decisive twist away from the smaller counties, Essex have found that the Championship is the stuff that dreams are made on. They are not ready for a rude awakening.

Silverwood and his four-day captain, Ryan ten Doeschate, have enjoyed success at the first time of asking, pulling together a dressing room that had a reputation for failing to deliver despite a truckload of talent. Having been assistant coach under his predecessor, Paul Grayson, Silverwood had first-hand experience of seeing Essex stumble – and he remains disappointed by two more quarter-final defeats in this season’s limited-overs competitions – but he did not believe that major changes were required.

“I was very much a part of that …

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