ANTHONY McGrath has left Yorkshire to join Essex as assistant coach and admitted it was “strange” to leave the place he has called home for 28 years.

McGrath, 40, spent 17 years as a player at Headingley before becoming a coach in 2014 but made the move as the assistant to former Yorkshire bowler and Essex head coach Chris Silverwood.

Silverwood is preparing for his first season in charge having taken over from Paul Grayson who left the county towards to end of last season.

McGrath said: “I’d had a chat with Chris about the club in general when we were down there for the One-Day Cup quarter-final in the summer.

“So when the role came up, again I had a chat with Chris, heard his plans for the club, and it’s really exciting, the group of players I believe is very talented and I think the club is going places.

“I’ve been at Yorkshire since I was 12 years old, and a new project and seeing how new teams operate will make me more rounded. If you’re at a club for over 20 years it’s going to be strange to leave, but the new role excites me more than anything.”