Another season done and dusted - and what an afternoon of gripping excitement to round it off as Essex held their nerve to become champions for the eighth time.

It was a case of so near, but so far again for Somerset, who have now finished second in the Championship in three of the last four seasons and are still one of three teams yet to win the title.

The others are Northamptonshire and Gloucestershire, but it was a good day for them as both secured promotion back to Division One despite their game at Bristol being abandoned.

They join Lancashire in a 10-team top-flight next season, when The Hundred will make its debut in the domestic calendar.

Thanks for your company over the past few months. Congratulations to Essex, and we'll see you again in 2020.

More from Essex opener Sir Alastair Cook:

"This is the reason I carried on. The guys wanted me to play, I wanted to play and I wanted to win trophies."

More from Essex captain Ryan ten Doeschate:

"We've played out of our skin for nine games, and you still come to the last game of the season and you need to play well to win.

"It's very rewarding. The team's come a long way in the last five or six years."

Before Essex secured the draw to confirm them as 2019 county champions, there was a wonderful moment for Somerset supporters as long-serving batsman Marcus Trescothick was given the chance to field as a substitute on his final day as a professional cricketer.

Essex opener Sir Alastair Cook told BBC Test Match Special:

"It's been a brilliant year. To come back from 40 or 50 points behind Somerset at one stage was really special."

Image source, Rex Features

Essex captain Ryan ten Doeschate told BBC Test Match Special:

"We knew it was going to be a dogfight with the state of the wicket. We knew it was prodigiously turning and needed some calm heads at the end there.

"I wasn't nervous, but you never know when the wicket is spinning like that."

Division One

Kent 147 drew with Hampshire 80-3

Somerset 203 & forfeit drew with Essex 141 & 45-1

Essex are county champions

Surrey 402-6 drew with Nottinghamshire 77-1

Yorkshire 261-2 drew with Warwickshire

Division Two

Durham 262-8 drew with Glamorgan

Gloucestershire 220-7 drew with Northamptonshire

Gloucestershire and Northamptonshire promoted

Leicestershire 151 & 191-3 dec drew with Lancashire 170

Middlesex 260 drew with Derbyshire 304-7

Sussex 299-8 drew with Worcestershire

From admiralandrea: "That was closer than I thought it would be. Amazing end to an amazing summer of cricket! Congrats to @EssexCricket, external and huge commiserations to @SomersetCCC, external - so near, yet so far. We go again next year #bbccricket, external"

From Mr_Tea82: "Yes!!! Well done Essex. I'm glad that they got onto the field of play to finish the season off, but they didn't half make it a nervy ending. #SOMvESS, external#bbccricket, external#champions, external"

From ClubCorpulent: "Well done Essex. Particularly, Clanger* Cook #bbccricket, external#SOMvESS, external *It means he’s a Bedfordshire man like me"

From IanERobbins: "Incredibly proud of @SomersetCCC, external right now. Even with everything the weather threw at us we didn’t give up and had a real crack. Yet again it wasn’t to be but we will come again and have had a fantastic season with a trophy and a 2nd place.

From @Alan23434702:"For us@ColU_Official, externaland @EssexCricket, externalsupporters it’s shaping up to be quite the week#bbccricket, external"

Essex captain Ryan ten Doeschate will be receiving the Championship trophy for the second time in a few minutes.

They have now won the title in 1979, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1991, 1992, 2017 - and 2019.

Keith Fletcher and Graham Gooch skippered Essex to the title on three occasions.

Daniel Norcross
BBC 5 live Sports Extra

"You see it week in, week out - it's just a marvellous sight."

Kevin Howells
BBC 5 Live Sports Extra

"It is too easy perhaps to get a little caught up in the County Championship but it does deliver - does it not?"

Varun Chopra
Essex batsman on BBC 5 Live Sports Extra

"Even when you're not playing you do kind of live every ball."

Kevin Howells
BBC 5 Live Sports Extra

"Congratulations to you, Essex. It's the eighth time they've won the title but the second time in three years."

"Somerset gave it their all and they caused a little nervousness to say the least."

Image source, Rex Features

Alastair Cook hugs Marcus Trescothick as Somerset finally admit that the task of winning the County Championship for the first time is beyond them.

Cook finishes 30 not out, and having contributed 53 in their first innings, he has been the main obstacle to Somerset achieving what would have been an incredible victory.

They had a slim chance after Essex collapsed from 102-1 to 141 all out in the space of 19 overs and Tom Abell forfeited the home side's second innings, but could manage one more of the 10 wickets they needed.

It is Essex's eighth title, and second in three years, and they finish 11 points clear of Somerset at the top.

Four leg byes for Essex and Alastair Cook then clips to backward square for one.

Tom Westley is content to block the rest. Essex nearly there.

Image source, Getty Images

Tom Westley is quickly under way with a single through square leg.

Dom Bess appeals for lbw against Alastair Cook - but there was a clear inside edge onto the pad there.

A single to Cook ends another over.

We're now almost at the point where Somerset need a wicket per ball.

Varun Chopra
Essex batsman on BBC 5 Live Sports Extra

"He tried really hard, did a really good job for Essex to face as many balls as he could."

Kevin Howells
BBC 5 Live Sports Extra

"He is now coming on to the field - and what a response!"

Nick Browne drives and finds the cover point boundary.

Roelof van der Merwe hasn't been able to reproduce his bowling in the first innings.

Here comes Marcus Trescothick - the body warmer is off, and he'll be on the field for the final moments of his playing career.

Great moment. And he receives a huge ovation. He's down on his knees in the slip cordon. Let's hope an edge comes his way.