As the Somerset captain, Tom Abell, swept Lancashire’s Stephen Parry for four runs that completed a seven-wicket win, Essex’s players were huddled around a screen on their team bus, heading back from Birmingham after their win over Warwickshire, heads thick from a night on the tiles. In the words of James Foster, the veteran wicketkeeper, they “opened another beer and raised a glass”, because Abell’s blow confirmed what they already knew: Essex were the county champions, for the first time since 1992.

They arrived back at Chelmsford to a heroes’ welcome from an assembled throng of club staff, sponsors, fans and media. The champagne was finally uncorked and the club’s chief executive, Derek Bowden, heralded the title as “the end of the beginning”, as Essex’s young, homegrown side look to build a dynasty comparable to the Fletcher-Gooch era a quarter of a century ago.

This was Essex’s first season back in Division One after six away, and the third top-flight campaign contested by 37-year-old Foster, who admitted he never imagined winning the County Championship in his career, let alone with two games to spare.

“Historically teams come straight back down so staying up is an achievement in itself,” said Foster. “But to win it is very special indeed, and not something we were imagining at the start of the season. We got on a roll, and just kept winning. It is bizarre how many we have won [eight of 12 games], because winning Championship matches is very tough.

“We’ve had a great formula and the individual success has been shared, and we’ve been lucky to have two bowlers [Simon Harmer and Jamie Porter] taking 60 wickets is a huge bonus. Now the challenge is to go unbeaten, which would top it all off.”

Essex had watched Lancashire’s tail add 22 on the final morning but Craig Overton – a bowler revelling in leading Somerset’s attack – castled Kyle Jarvis and trapped Tom Bailey, whose stance is increasingly a mirror image of his team-mate Shiv Chanderpaul’s, plumb in front. Somerset needed 68 for their second successive win.

Matt Parkinson, the precocious 20-year-old leggie whose twin Callum (left-arm orthodox) took 10 in the match for Leicestershire at New Road, picked up three wickets, including Marcus Trescothick and James Hildreth with successive balls, but the chase was not hefty enough to trouble even Somerset’s frail batting. With Abell was the 18-year-old George Bartlett, who finished with 27.

Now attention turns to the foot of the table, where five teams are jostling to avoid joining Warwickshire in Division Two next year. Somerset are out of the relegation zone but level on points with Middlesex (123), who pilfered four vital bonus points from their damp draw with Hampshire at Uxbridge.

A point ahead are Yorkshire, whose batsmen barely broke sweat in feasting on second-innings runs against Surrey on the sort of Oval pitch – flatter by the hour – that drives bowlers into retirement and fans to distraction. There were centuries from Shaun Marsh and Alex Lees, the only wicket to fall on the final day.

So going into the final fortnight, the three sides who so fiercely and memorably contested the title race in 2016 are separated by a point. Surrey (third, 12 points off relegation, but having not won since the opening week) and Hampshire (fourth, 13 points clear) are not out of the woods either.

The race for promotion in Division Two is clearer after Worcestershire beat Leicestershire by six wickets, despite Parkinson’s efforts. Only the clean hitting of Leicestershire’s tail set Worcestershire 132 to win, which they managed four down, with Ravi Ashwin hitting the winning runs. They sit out next week, but are nine points clear of Nottinghamshire having played a game more.

Twenty-nine points behind Notts are Northamptonshire, who beat Glamorgan by seven wickets at Cardiff thanks to 53 from Rob Newton and 62 from their on-loan nightwatchman Simon Kerrigan in their chase of 221. Northants and Notts meet next week at Wantage Road.

Kent and Sussex’s hopes of promotions are over. Kent, who are 43 points behind Notts, could not bowl out Gloucestershire for a second time at Bristol, while Sussex (46 points back) lost their last seven wickets for 77 to fall 46 short of an improbable chase of 390 against Derbyshire. Remarkably, Hardus Viljoen took eight wickets to finish with 15 for 170 in the match.