Picture by Jack Rubio/Hampshire Cricket. Dom Bess starred on day four at the Utilita Bowl.
Dom Bess says it means so much to him and his team-mates to play for Yorkshire.
The off-spinning all-rounder led the White Rose county over the line at Hampshire on Sunday with figures of 5-103 as the hosts, chasing 278, were bowled out for 238.
It has built belief within the squad that, during the final five games of the season, they can now target winning the Rothesay County Championship title.
They are 27 points behind leaders Nottinghamshire, their final-round opponents at Trent Bridge late next month.
First, though, they have to contend with facing Leicestershire at Scarborough, starting on Thursday.
Bess and his Yorkshire team-mates celebrated the winning moment at the Utilita Bowl with jubilation. It was three-and-three-quarter days of hard graft on the South Coast, but the visitors deservedly got over the line.
“I think even the celebrations at the end, it’s probably like, I can only imagine winning the World Cup or something like that,” smiled Bess.
“But that’s how much it means to play for this club.
“Bear in mind, the majority in the changing room are home-grown. Obviously, I’m not home-grown, but I feel like it. The amount of commitment shows how much it means for everyone.
“Mags spoke about team first at the end.
“Everything you can pick apart from the four days, and everyone’s sort of given it their all – from Isaac Bepey and Brad Sylvester as 12th men, Beany as a replacement keeper. Keeping on that was fantastic.
“I could literally list everyone.
“So the five wickets is nothing. It’s more about the feeling of winning at the end.
“You guys (local media) have been around with us for a long time now.
“I think obviously you take five years ago, what happened, everything that happened about that, and the group that we’ve got in there, I think it’s starting to show the belief.
“We’ve had some heartache, but wins like that are probably the most special.”
As Yorkshire’s senior spinner, on a pitch taking turn, Bess was always going to play the lead role. With that comes added pressure, however.
Bess, though, is more than happy to embrace that type of thing.
“It’s your job, isn’t it,” he added.
“I guess, for me, I know that fourth day is my day. It’s spinning, of course there’s pressure. But I’m so grateful that I had it at the start of my career (at Somerset).
“I had the pressures, I had to win.
“Obviously it was always nice to have Jack Leach down the other end when I was there, but now I have another bald fella at the other end in Adam Lyth. He’s a quality cricketer.
“Obviously I’m the spin bowler in the team, it’s my job to get it done, and I’ll always front up.
“If I don’t get it done, then I’ll always have it on my chest and wear it proud.”
