By Oliver Brett BBC Sport Online

It was last September that John Stephenson, in his benefit year at Hampshire, was contacted by Essex captain Ronnie Irani with a view to rejoining the county he left in 1995.

Stephenson, who is proud of his classic Essex heritage - born in Stebbing, he and his three brothers were at Felsted School - was happy to return to his old county.

"I knew I was going to leave Hampshire," he says. "There was a sort of gentleman's agreement at the end of the year.

"When Ronnie rang, obviously I was very interested in returning to Essex. I had gone through all the age groups, and had played at Essex from 1985 to 1994."

A spell at Hampshire ended after last season

In that time, he only appeared in one Lord's final as Essex, who were enjoying tremendous success in all competitions, used Stephenson as a Championship specialist.

He remembers it well - the 1989 NatWest Trophy final between Essex and Nottinghamshire.

The match is still one of the highlights of Eddie Hemmings' career. He needed to hit the last ball of the match, bowled by the estimable JK Lever, for four.

"It was unbelievable," says Stephenson. "I was fielding down at fine leg and the ball before - I think it was Duncan Martindale batting - he knocked it fine of me and I did a good bit of fielding.

"I dived, picked the ball up with one hand and threw it over the stumps, and that saved about two runs.

"Then JK and Keith Fletcher took an eternity setting the field for the last ball. It was a perfect leg-stump Yorker and Eddie sort of squeezed it square of the wicket on the off-side.

JK Lever was the unlucky Essex bowler in 1989

"The cover boundary was unprotected but I was celebrating because I thought Brian Hardie would get round to it.

"Eddie must have hit the ball well because Brian never got anywhere near it and suddenly we had lost the game."

Earlier that same summer, Stephenson played his first and last Test for England. It was not altogether a pleasurable experience for the 24-year-old.

With the Ashes series already lost, England gave Stephenson and the Kent seamer Alan Igglesden a taster of the big time.

Opening with county colleague Graham Gooch, Stephenson did not disgrace himself.

"I drove Geoff Lawson for one four and hooked him for another. I batted out a whole session on the third morning and scored 25.

"The main memory was that there were capacity crowds every day. Terry Alderman swung it and there was a bit of sledging.

"There was no team bonding though. David Gower, the captain, wasn't interested in that sort of thing. It was just a bunch of individuals chucked together.

Stephenson played with Gooch and Gower

"It was very, very tough. We weren't prepared for it at all and needed more tim to get used to the set-up.

"Ted Dexter, the chairman of selectors, didn't even know who I was when I turned up.

"These days the young players are far better prepared for the Test arena."

The Test opener of 13 years ago remarkably batted at number 10 in Essex's demolition of Worcestershire in the semi-finals.

Stephenson laughs when reminded of this fact, but it's as a swing bowler that many of his most telling performances have come this summer.

"We are a flexible side. Goochie says it doesn't matter where you bat you have to take it very seriously.

"You could be thrown in anywhere and you've got to be prepared for any situation. I tend to have my pads on most of the day!"

Although it was always intended that he play a part in Essex's one-day season this year, Stephenson's primary role is that of second XI coach.

But after injuries saw him get a place in the Championship match in mid-May against Worcestershire, Stephenson took 10 wickets, Essex won and neither he nor the county have looked back since.