STUART Kerrison will complete his century next week when Essex take on Warwickshire in what could prove a crucial promotion battle.

The clash will mark the 100th time the Essex head groundsman has prepared a pitch for a Championship duel at Chelmsford.

Kerrison took over from Andy Atkinson in 1991 and it was a match that year that he remembers most.

“It was the game against Middlesex,” he recalls.

“We bowled them out for 51 in the first innings and I admit I was worried about what was going to follow.

“All things start to go through your mind, not least the question of had I done my job properly?

“Fortunately it soon became clear that there was nothing wrong with the pitch as Graham Gooch scored a big double hundred which helped us to victory and clinched the county title.”

Kerrison is recognised as one of the best at his craft but if there is one thing that annoys him, it is the suggestion that too many batsman-friendly pitches are prepared at Chelmsford, leading to boring draws.

He said. “Of the 99 games played so far, only about a third of them have ended in draws and in some of those rain has denied one county or another victory.”