County champions Essex and women’s One-Day Cup winners Lancashire capped off a memorable year this week when they were presented with their respective trophies by Lord’s Taverners President Sir Michael Parkinson at Lord’s.

Essex lifted the trophy for the seventh time, their first since 1992, on the back of an incredible two years after achieving the feat of being promoted from division 2 as league winners in 2016 before following it up with the Division One County Championship triumph in 2017.

The Lancashire women’s side sealed the Royal London One-Day Championship after a dramatic final day of the campaign with three sides going into it all with a chance of winning. After winning the title by one point this secured them the double following their T20 win earlier in the summer.

The Lord’s Taverners ECB Trophy is the official name of the silverware awarded to the winners of the men’s County Championship, while the women’s champions receive the Lady Taverners ECB Trophy.

It is the 44th year that the county champions have enjoyed a reception with the Lord’s Taverners since the trophy was introduced for the first time by the charity’s Patron and Twelfth Man, HRH the Duke of Edinburgh in 1973.

Essex Vice-Captain, Tom Westley, said: “It’s been an honour to be re-presented with the Division One trophy at Lord’s. People didn’t expect us to do that well in division one but we always had a belief that we belonged in division one and as soon as we got on a roll we didn’t look back. We’re now working really hard to defend our title this season.”