Essex will preserve pushing proper to the tip of the season within the hope of profitable the County Championship title, says head coach Anthony McGrath.
They begin an away recreation in opposition to relegated Northamptonshire on Tuesday, 20 factors behind leaders Surrey.
Essex should win with most factors and hope Surrey lose to Hampshire with none batting factors.
“After all it’ll be powerful, however you by no means know,” McGrath instructed BBC Essex.
“Essex over the previous few years have pulled some superb outcomes out so all we are able to do is go to Northampton, attempt to get full factors and see the place that take us.”
Ought to Essex beat Northamptonshire this week with a most 24 factors, then Surrey would want 5 factors to be completely sure of the title.
Ought to they lose with solely 4, each groups may end on 217 factors – and Essex can be champions as a result of they gained extra factors than Surrey within the drawn recreation between the 2 sides in Might.
They’d have been solely 4 factors behind Surrey had they overwhelmed Hampshire at Chelmsford final week – however the guests chased down a goal of 267 within the remaining over of play.
Surrey escaped with a draw of their match in opposition to Northants after being made to observe on at The Oval.
“It is nonetheless mathematically attainable,” mentioned McGrath. “We knew from half-way by the season we needed to be excellent and we gained six on the spin, and practically seven, so it has been an unbelievable effort by the blokes.”
It seemed like Essex had been heading in the right direction for victory when Hampshire had been 32-4 however star South Africa spinner Simon Harmer – who took eight wickets within the recreation – couldn’t discover the identical flip and bounce because the ball grew older.
Harmer is Division One’s main wicket-taker with 60 and after the match McGrath known as him “an unbelievable bowler”.
“He cannot produce that magic each single recreation. He nonetheless received eight however we put three catches down,” he mentioned.