Matt Coles has only played one Royal London Cup match at Chelmsford in a red Essex Eagles shirt, but says the County Ground already feels like home.

The 28-year-old is preparing a warm welcome for his former Kent team-mates in today’s day-night game that Essex need to win to progress to the knockout stage of the 50-overs competition.

Coles has taken five wickets in his two appearances for the Eagles, both of them victories to ensure fate resides in their own hands going into the final group match against a Kent side who have already qualified.

And the all-rounder, who hit 91 from 52 balls in a Royal London contest for Kent at Chelmsford two years ago, says he enjoys playing at the ground.

“It was one of the reasons for coming here,” says Coles, who signed a two-year deal in October. “When you do well against a team, or at certain grounds, you think it might be somewhere you could take your game forward.

“The small boundaries help a bit, but then again you do have to bowl with them. So it’s a win-lose sort of thing. It’s about adapting to each ground you play at, and it’s definitely a ground where I’ve played enough cricket – for Kent and Hampshire – to know what roughly to bowl in certain situations.

“This being the home ground, it’s where you have to feel most comfortable. The last game here [against Glamorgan last week] I felt comfortable; it felt like home.”

There will be little love lost out in the middle against life-long friends and colleagues.

Coles says moving to Essex was a ‘no-brainer’ adding it was ‘a chance to play at a club that’s moving in the right direction rather than somewhere that sits stagnant’.

“Last time I went back to Kent [after leaving Hampshire] I got booed when I walked out. It sums it up really. They’re opponents now, so it’s irrelevant really about who’s friends and who’s not. No doubt I’ll be giving them a bit of stick out on the pitch, and hopefully pulling my weight to give Essex the greatest opportunity to win.

“I know what to do against certain people. It’s like [Daniel] Bell-Drummond doesn’t get forward enough, doesn’t move his feet, so you’ve just got to bowl it fuller to him. [Joe] Denly: he’ll fiddle a wide one early on. You know their weaknesses, so it’s trying to exploit them as much as possible.

“But they’ve been on a good run so it’s going to be a tough game, a fiery game. They have stand-out players in-form at the moment: [Heino] Kuhn, Denly and Bell-Drummond with the bat; [Matt] Henry and Steveo [Darren Stevens] have been doing their job with the ball.

“But I do feel we’re a better team and I think Essex will come out on top.”