ANDY WILSON'S weekly look at the county scene

IF Stuart Law thought he had seen the back of Essex when he left them in the Second Division of the Championship to join Lancashire during the winter, he could be in for a nasty shock.

Instead the Queenslander is on course to meet his old county three times in a week later this month - once in a Lord's final.

It was Sod's Law, no relation of Stuart's, which dictated that Lancashire were bound to meet Essex in a big match this season after the Australian's acrimonious departure from Chelmsford.

Now Law could line up against his old team-mates - and their captain Ronnie Irani, the Lancastrian who he fell out with in a big way last summer - in both the one-day knockout competitions, as well as the National League.

The first meeting is in the league, at Ilford on Sunday June 16 - when Law is set for a mixed reception from the Essex players and members alike.

Lancashire will now stay in Essex for their fourth round C&G Trophy match at Chelmsford the following Wednesday.

And three days after that it's the Benson and Hedges Cup final at Lord's, with Lancashire and Essex the favourites to qualify after being given home advantage in this week's semis.

On Thursday Essex take on a Worcestershire team who will be missing Law's fellow Queenslander Andy Bichel, who has been in outstanding form this season but will be playing for Australia against Pakistan in Melbourne - although Worcestershire have signed a handy replacement in Allan Donald.

The following day Lancashire play Warwickshire at Old Trafford with David Byas missing because of his broken knuckle, but Andy Flintoff returning from Test duty to line up alongside Law and Neil Fairbrother for the first time. Warwickshire will be no pushovers with another South African, Shaun Pollock, leading their attack and batting at three, and handy one-day performers such as Nick Knight, Dougie Brown, Neil Smith and Ashley Giles.

But fate seems to be driving Lancashire and Law towards a Lord's showdown with Irani and Essex. Law insists he is looking forward to returning for the first time at Ilford two weeks tomorrow. "We've still got a lot of friends down there," he says, and he was down in Essex for a benefit dinner for Mark Ilott before the start of the season.

But he can expect to be asked a lot of questions about his relationship with Irani over the next couple of weeks - and the prospect of the Queenslander who left Essex for Lancashire squaring up to the Boltonian who went the other way would be a scriptwriter's dream for the last final of the Benson and Hedges Cup.