Before joining up with the England World Cup squad I was delighted to leave Essex on such a high note with our fabulous championship win over Warwickshire.

It has given the county a tremendous lift to bring to an end a run of seven straight championship defeats and was a long overdue success at Chelmsford, where we hadn't won in the competition since May 1997.

The success was very much a team effort, but particular credit has to go to our bowlers, with Mark Ilott and the other seamers very much top of the list.

To have a team of Warwickshire's capabilities at something like 80-6 in their first knock and then bowl them out for 86 was quite a performance.

Chelmsford isn't renowned for swing and seam bowling, but it certainly played a major part here.

I'm delighted with such an early reward for all the hard work that's been done in the winter and build-up to the season that we've enjoyed such an early success.

After losing our first game in the championship this term, plus our opening National League fixture in a real thriller, this was just the boost Essex needed.

I feel sure that this will be a taster for what's to come from Essex this season. In my first season as skipper I'm determined that we should produce the goods and, as I said before, the only downbeat thing about my World Cup call-up is that I shall be away from the county scene for a spell.

On a personal note, I was delighted that I was able to get a reasonable knock in the second innings, during which Paul Prichard and myself both made 59.

From my point of view I've been feeling in good nick so far this term, but as I said earlier the win over Warwickshire was essentially a team triumph and a major boost for Essex.

If I'd made no runs at all and we'd still won I would have been far happier than if we'd got beaten with myself enjoying a good knock.

I was at an Essex function just after the game and the performance generally was a big talking point and there was a tremendous buzz about the place.

Everything's building up well now for the start of the World Cup and the squad got together at our base in Ashford, Kent, on Sunday evening.

We've already been busy in the nets and at team meetings and obviously I'm delighted that it's been agreed to release me from the international squad to play for Essex against England at Chelmsford on Sunday.

Make no mistake about it, Essex will be very much up for this game and will be going all out for victory.

It's one of three England warm-up games against county sides and Mark Ealham has been released to play for Kent in their game against the national team.

In Ealham's case it allows the selectors to try someone else out for that match and from my point of view it ensures me a game on Sunday.

We had a trip to the House of Commons yesterday where we met Sports Minister Tony Banks and, with the World Cup start little more than a week away now, I'm sure most of us can't wait for the serious action to start.

It promises to be a real feast of cricket for the fans and it's certainly a hectic time for me with continuing events as part of my benefit.

On Friday this week I'm hosting a dinner in aid of the Bangledesh team at the Bengal Clipper at Shad Thames and a week today it's one of the major events of my year - the World Cup Ball, being sponsored by GNI, at the Hilton in Park Lane.

With so much going on, it's difficult to catch up with much sporting action from different arenas, but "Thorpie" (Graham Thorpe), whom I'm rooming with, and myself did manage to catch the last frame of the Embassy World Snooker final.

All credit to Stephen Hendry. To take a world title in any sport seven times is one tremendous achievement.

I wouldn't take anything away from Mark Williams, who put up a great fight in the final, but I'm sure the sporting public would love to have seen Hendry up against one of the real "flair" players such as Ronnie O'Sullivan or Jimmy White in the final.

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.