BATSMAN Tom Westley admits he could not have wished for a better start to the 2013 season.
Westley's 163 in the drawn game with Gloucestershire last week was the highest score by any batsman in the opening round of LV> Championship fixtures.
And with another 58 and 133 in the University clash with Cambridge UCCE earlier this month, the 24-year-old is already past 350 first-class runs in 2013.
Westley's score helped Essex recover from 23-2 to finish the match on 353-6 and earn eight points from a rain-affected draw.
"It's gone fairly well so far," Westley said. "I couldn't have dreamt for a better start, but in the same breath I don't want to get carried away because things can change so quickly. Hopefully, I can continue it for a bit longer.
"We were in a tricky position, but on the flip side, they were in a similar position as well, if not worse, that's obviously testament to how well [Dan] Housego and [Hamish] Marshall played, but we saw that once you got in on that wicket you could build a big partnership.
"I don't think we panicked too much. Obviously, it's not ideal being two wickets down.
"But we knew that, similar to Gloucestershire, if we spent enough time in the middle, we would do well."
The opening batsman was also called into action with the ball against Gloucestershire.
The off-spinner sent down 13 overs as Essex opted for an all-seam attack at Chelmsford, and Westley is happy to play his part with the ball as well as the bat this term.
"It's nice to be given that responsibility of being the spinner in the side," he added.
"Obviously the conditions this time of year are very seam conducive but it does give Essex another option if they do want to play another seamer.
"I'm enjoying my role in the side at the moment so hopefully I can continue to improve my batting and my bowling."
Westley has passed 3,000 career runs this season, and is hoping to learn from the likes of Australian overseas star Rob Quiney as the campaign progresses.
And, having made such a bright start to the campaign with the bat, Westley is hoping to continue his rich vein of form
"There's a really good vibe around the changing room," he added.
"Bobby has added another dimension to the squad, everyone gets on well with him, he's a really good bloke to have around the changing room.
"There's good times here at the club at the moment.
"I'm not trying to get too far ahead of myself. I'm enjoying my batting and I want to score as many first-class hundreds as I can.
"Batting has been tough the last few years, so it's been brilliant to get off to such a good start."
Westley's knock against Gloucestershire came from 284 balls and included 23 fours, and he was involved in partnerships of 116 with Ravi Bopara, 95 with Mark Pettini and 63 with James Foster.