Dom Bess hailed Yorkshire’s “smart” performance as they claimed an impressive five-wicket win over Essex Eagles in today’s Metro Bank One-Day Cup clash at Chelmsford.
Bess claimed a superb 5-37 from 7.4 overs, his career best figures, as Essex slipped from 103-0 to 221 all out on a tricky pitch. Matthew Revis also starred with four wickets.
The Vikings then claimed their first win at the fourth attempt in this season’s group phase, with James Wharton hitting his maiden List A fifty, an unbeaten 54. Captain Shan Masood also matched that score.
“They came out with 100 off 10 overs, and I had to be chucked in during the first powerplay,” said off-spinner Bess.
“I actually said to Michael Pepper (Essex opener, who made 63) when we were out there, ‘I feel like I’m bowling at the death and it’s the seventh or eighth over of a 50-over game’.
“I think it shows how skilful he was because he took the game on in the best conditions. The pitch deteriorated.
“One thing we said was that we had to keep taking wickets, which we did. And they stalled a lot. Had they continued the way they were going, they’d have comfortably got 300 and it would have been trickier.
“But that’s credit to Rev for breaking the partnership and taking a lot of the top six out. Then Shutty as well. He bowled like we know he can do, and it was really nice.
“Leechy got peppered a bit at the start but came back nicely. Myself, it came out nicely today.”
Essex raced out of the blocks after electing to bat.
Bess said: “We were probably a bit inconsistent early on – we were a touch short and full, a touch wide.
“But it was really important that we found our straps once we got Pepper out, and we kept taking wickets to delay them.”
And he added: “Ultimately, we did it the old-school way. We took 45 overs to knock it off, and it shows you there’s different ways to skin a cat.
“We did it in a different way, and I think we were very smart.
“If we’d come out and tried to slog it, that could have put us under the pump.
“We obviously want to come out of this competition talented and good cricketers but smart ones as well. The way we rotated the strike and played the long game, it was really impressive.”
Yorkshire are back in action against Surrey at York Cricket Club on Tuesday, the first of back-to-back games at Clifton Park. Hampshire follow on Thursday.
