By Graham Hardcastle, Paul Dyson and Jonathan Doidge

It’s a funny old game. Dom Bess knows that better than anyone.

From Saturday through to Tuesday, he will line up for Somerset against Yorkshire in the Specsavers County County Championship match at Emerald Headingley.

Then, immediately afterwards, he will link up with the White Rose for a second loan spell and play the first 10 group games of the Vitality Blast.

It is an extremely rare, if not unique, scenario – but, says Bess, a little bit in keeping with a career which last year saw him debut for England in Test cricket before returning to Somerset and playing second-team cricket a month later.

“This is the funny thing with my cricket career,” he said.

“It always seems to bring up little things like this. I play against Yorkshire for Somerset and then the day after, I’ll be joining them for the T20 stuff.

“It’s amazing, but at least it saves me doing the trip back and forth!”

Make no mistake, however. There will be no split loyalties for the next four days, especially given Somerset’s position at the top of Division One having won seven of nine games so far.

The Taunton based county are chasing their first ever Championship title.

“That’s the great thing about sport. You have friendships and relationships, but when you go out on that field it’s about winning,” said Bess, who claimed seven wickets in their home win against Nottinghamshire earlier this week.

“When I’m playing for Somerset, I’m always trying to win. When I’m playing for Yorkshire, I’m always trying to do that as well.”

Bess took seven wickets and scored 156 runs in four Championship games for Yorkshire through late May and early June and impressed everyone.

“It will be quite interesting to see how they go about things against me because they know how I play and bowl,” he said. “For me, I’ve got a bit of an incline as to how the lads operate as well. Hopefully I can use that to my advantage.

“It’s going to be really good fun. I’ll try my best to not get hit on the shin by Patto or Coady.”

The 21-year-old has taken 11 wickets in Somerset’s last two games to leave them 15 points clear of second-placed Essex and 55 points clear of Yorkshire in third.

“Somerset are in good form, but they’re a team I think we can beat on our home patch,” said White Rose coach Andrew Gale. “We’ll go into the game and make sure we give it everything.”

Another familiar face in the opposition will be Jack Brooks, as long as he returns to the Somerset team having missed their last two games with them opting to play two spinners in home matches against Hampshire and Notts.

But Jack Leach and seam bowling all-rounder Lewis Gregory are unavailable due to England Lions duty, opening the door for the ex-Yorkshire two-time Championship winner to return on familiar territory.

Brooks left Headingley in the winter having accepted Somerset’s offer of a three-year contract to Yorkshire’s two.

“Brooksy will be wanting to prove a point,” added Gale. “We know he’s a good bowler at Headingley in those conditions. But we know enough about him to be up to the task of facing him.”

Team news

Josh Shaw has returned from a successful loan spell with Gloucestershire, having taken 21 wickets in six appearances for the Bristol-based county.

David Willey returns to the squad having missed the defeat at Essex due to personal reasons.

Matthew Waite, Tim Bresnan and Jared Warner have returned to competitive cricket, playing in a three-day game for the second XI against Lancashire at Liverpool.

14-man squad to face Somerset at Emerald Headingley

Gary Ballance
Harry Brook
Tom Kohler-Cadmore
Ben Coad
Will Fraine
Matthew Fisher
Adam Lyth
Keshav Maharaj
Duanne Olivier
Steven Patterson ©
Josh Shaw
Jonathan Tattersall (W)
Jordan Thompson
David Willey

Match statistics

  • Somerset’s first two wins in the County Championship at Headingley were exactly 100 years apart – in 1901 and 2001.
  • Somerset is one of only two counties, Essex being the other, who have scored over 600 runs in an innings against Yorkshire without the White Rose county ever having done so in return. Somerset’s record is 630 at Headingley in 1901. Yorkshire’s highest is 589 for five at Bath in 2001.
  • Yorkshire have dismissed Somerset for fewer than 50 on five occasions, the lowest being 35 at Bath in 1898, but their own lowest total in these matches is 73 at Headingley in 1895.
  • Somerset’s highest partnership against Yorkshire is 346 and this record was set 127 years ago. Yorkshire’s highest stand against Somerset is 288 made in 1979.
  • For Yorkshire three players have scored a century and taken five wickets in an innings in the same match in games between these two sides. They are George Hirst, Wilfred Rhodes and Brian Close (twice). No Somerset player has yet achieved the feat against Yorkshire.

The thoughts of Graham Hardcastle

Can Yorkshire put a dent in the Somerset charge?

If so, they need to be more Scarborough than Chelmsford in their performance.

Against Essex earlier this week, it was the first time this season that Steve Patterson and company were outplayed.

While Keshav Maharaj plays the last game of his overseas deal, Jack Brooks returns to his former home and Dom Bess plays against the county he will join for T20 next week.

If Yorkshire can win, it may not do anything to boost a title challenge which realistically ended at Essex, but it would be further proof that a young side is developing encouragingly.

All the pressure will be on Somerset, no doubt. They are 15 points clear of Essex at the top of Division One, and the popular opinion is that a maiden title is theirs to lose.

It will be great to see Brooksy back in front of a home crowd which loved him so much. After all, he was a huge part of the White Rose Championship successes of 2014 and 2015.

Let’s hope for a dry weekend and start to the week. It promises to be an intriguing few days when we should learn a lot about this Yorkshire team.

The thoughts of Jonathan Doidge

From the high of Scarborough to the low that was Chelmsford in the space of a few days… that was the week that was!

Much has already been spoken and written about the defeat to Essex, which makes it difficult, but not impossible for the Tykes to win this year’s championship. Realistically, it will be very tough going from hereon in, but what better way to stay in the hunt than to bounce right back by beating this season’s trailblazers, Somerset.

Only Essex have lowered the visitors’ colours this season, which after recent events should be no surprise to Yorkshire. They have a bowling attack to compare with any in county cricket, and of course in this match that includes both the “Headband Warrior” Jack Brooks, whose Headingley departure last season continues to be lamented by supporters, and Dom Bess.

The latter impressed in his recent red ball loan spell and, professional that he is, he will now look to mete out some treatment to the white rose players before rejoining them for the T20 Blast. Confused?! Well Steve Patterson and his team might hope that the 21-year-old off spinner might be, for the next few days at least!

Despite that recent eight wicket defeat to Essex, the Tykes should not be written off. At Scarborough they bounced back from their York defeat to Warwickshire. They are a proud squad and will come back strongly, with every incentive to do so. It is interesting that the Essex players said that Yorkshire (and not Somerset) are the best team that they have played so far this season. Yes, there is work to do, with consistent first innings runs possibly top of the list, but the team has played some good cricket too.

It was great to see Matthew Fisher back in first team action at Chelmsford, and that he came through unscathed and made a positive return is credit to him and also the way he has been handled. He remains a real talent and both for ‘Fish’ and this team, the best is yet to come.

Specsavers County Championship Division One table

Specsavers County Championship Division One statistics

Potential batting milestones in Yorkshire v Somerset on 13th Jul 2019

  • JA Brooks needs 2 runs to reach 500 runs in First-class matches at Leeds
  • TT Bresnan needs 5 runs to reach 500 runs in First-class matches against Somerset
  • A Lyth needs 8 runs to reach 10500 runs in First-class matches
  • T Kohler-Cadmore needs 19 runs to reach 500 runs in First-class matches at Leeds
  • TT Bresnan needs 21 runs to reach 6500 runs in First-class matches
  • BO Coad needs 28 runs to reach 500 runs in First-class matches
  • ME Trescothick needs 32 runs to reach 2000 runs in First-class matches against Yorkshire
  • AU Rashid needs 33 runs to reach 2000 runs in First-class matches at Leeds
  • JA Leaning needs 45 runs to reach 3000 runs in First-class matches
  • L Gregory needs 71 runs to reach 500 runs in First-class matches against Yorkshire
  • TB Abell needs 73 runs to reach 500 runs in First-class matches against Yorkshire
  • SM Davies needs 73 runs to reach 500 runs in First-class matches at Leeds
  • KA Maharaj needs 74 runs to reach 3000 runs in First-class matches
  • T Kohler-Cadmore needs 75 runs to reach 3000 runs in First-class matches
  • SM Davies needs 76 runs to reach 1000 runs in First-class matches against Yorkshire
  • MJ Leach needs 89 runs to reach 1000 runs in First-class matches
  • WAR Fraine needs 101 runs to reach 500 runs in First-class matches
  • L Gregory needs 111 runs to reach 2500 runs in First-class matches
  • JA Leaning needs 114 runs to reach 500 runs in First-class matches against Somerset
  • A Lyth needs 122 runs to reach 1500 runs in First-class matches against Somerset
  • TT Bresnan needs 122 runs to reach 2000 runs in First-class matches at Leeds
  • J Shaw needs 137 runs to reach 500 runs in First-class matches
  • T Banton needs 140 runs to reach 500 runs in First-class matches
  • JC Hildreth needs 140 runs to reach 500 runs in First-class matches at Leeds
  • TD Groenewald needs 148 runs to reach 2500 runs in First-class matches
  • JM Bairstow needs 148 runs to reach 11500 runs in First-class matches
  • DJ Willey needs 150 runs to reach 2500 runs in First-class matches

Potential bowling milestones in Yorkshire v Somerset on 13th Jul 2019

  • TD Groenewald needs 1 wickets to reach 400 wickets in First-class matches
  • SA Patterson needs 1 wickets to reach 400 wickets in First-class matches
  • JA Brooks needs 2 wickets to reach 150 wickets in First-class matches at Leeds
  • TT Bresnan needs 2 wickets to reach 550 wickets in First-class matches
  • Azhar Ali needs 4 wickets to reach 50 wickets in First-class matches
  • AU Rashid needs 6 wickets to reach 50 wickets in First-class matches against Somerset
  • AU Rashid needs 8 wickets to reach 150 wickets in First-class matches at Leeds
  • BO Coad needs 9 wickets to reach 150 wickets in First-class matches
  • JE Root needs 10 wickets to reach 50 wickets in First-class matches

Last time out

4 MAY 2018 – SPECSAVERS COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP DIVISION ONEDAY 3 OF 4

Essex

  • First innings 142 all out
  • Second innings 146 all out

Yorkshire

  • First innings 50 all out
  • Second innings 329 all out

Yorkshire win by 91 runs

Scorecard

Yorkshire secured a stunning Specsavers County Championship victory over champions Essex at Chelmsford as they comfortably defended a 238 target to win by 91 runs.

Essex started day three on 97-4 and were bowled out for 146 inside 90 minutes of play.

They even lost four wickets in 23 balls without addition to slip from 114-4 to 114-8 to all but end their chances of victory, with Ben Coad taking three of them.

Steve Patterson finished with career best figures of 6-40 from 18 overs in his first match of the season having suffered a broken finger last month.

Yorkshire take 19 points from their second win in four this summer, and it happened having been bowled out for 50 in the first innings.

This was Essex’s first defeat in the Championship since being beaten here by Glamorgan in September 2016, and they take just three points.

For Yorkshire, this was their lowest first-innings winning total for 96 years when they beat Sussex at Hove in 1922 having been bowled out for 42.

Ways to follow

  • Ball-by-ball BBC Radio Commentary…

Live commentary

  • Via the club’s match centre below, including live stream…

Match centre

The opposition

Director of cricket: Andy Hurry, Head coach: Jason Kerr
Captain: Tom Abell (CC/RL50), Lewis Gregory (T20)
2018: CC 2nd in Div 1, RL50 4th in South, T20 SF

An image of Lauren Winfield-Hill and Adil Rashid, with the Yorkshire logo and Northern Diamonds logo in the middle

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