PAUL GRAYSON says he has been delighted with the reaction of his Essex side since the horror show at Northants last month, but warns consistency moving forward will be key to any success this season.
Victory at Glamorgan last week has seen Essex rise to second in County Championship Division Two. It was a fine all-round display, with the performances of Ravi Bopara with the bat, and David Masters with the ball catching the eye.
It was also another thrilling finish, the third game in a row that has gone down to the wire.
"After the performance at Northants everyone got an early-season kick up the backside and we've had a good response from the players," Grayson said.
"We've had a couple of YB40 victories and are sitting nicely in that competition. And our last three Championship matches have been really exciting.
"We had an excellent win against Hampshire three weeks ago. Chasing 140-odd, we were 30-6, but Graham Napier and Mark Pettini got us over the line. We played really well up in Lancashire and dominated for three days.
"At lunchtime on day three we were in a very strong position, 250-odd in front with only three wickets down. But we lost a day to bad weather.
"Nevertheless, we still felt we could bowl them out in 50 overs, and that is the reason we declared. Since I've been at the club we've always wanted to win matches, the easy option is to bat out the rest of the day for a draw. We thought we could win that match and got a couple of early wickets. Unfortunately, Lancashire chased those down. It was disappointing to lose a game we had controlled.
"But there were some real positives and we took those to Glamorgan. We had a hard game down there over four days and the wicket got flatter and flatter.
"But the bowlers stuck to their task and kept their discipline and it was great to get the win on Saturday evening. It was a very good team performance."
Grayson has been delighted with the way everyone is doing their bit at present. The batsmen are making runs all the way down the order, while the bowlers are sharing out the wickets.
"It has been pleasing," Grayson said. "We've been putting in good team performances. In the Championship everyone is chipping in. We've had some good individual displays as well, but as a unit the team is functioning very well.
"Consistency is going to be key. We've got Kent this week and it will be tough. They are out of form and short on confidence, but have some very good players."
Kent arrived at the County Ground yesterday (Wednesday), but Grayson is refusing to take Jimmy Adams' side lightly and has urged his team to avoid complacency.
"It is always dangerous to look too far in front of yourself," Grayson said. "We've had some very good games against Kent in the past few years.
"They are a very experienced side. At the moment they aren't playing as well as they'd like, but in cricket things can change very quickly.
"They are a dangerous side and we won't take them lightly. We are playing with confidence and will go into the game looking to get another win."