Yorkshire coach Andrew Gale hailed his side’s resilience after T20 disappointment last month to bounce back brilliantly and elevate themselves into the LV= Insurance County Championship title race.
The White Rose lost their Vitality Blast quarter-final against Sussex at Durham, only to dominate last week’s draw against Hampshire at the Ageas Bowl before beating Somerset at Scarborough inside two days.
Yorkshire won by an innings and 33 runs thanks to starring roles for brilliant centurion Harry Brook and nine-wicket star Matthew Fisher.
Yorkshire are top of the in-play Division One table, which will change by the end of the week.
But they know that two wins against Warwickshire and Nottinghamshire over the next fortnight will give them a great chance of winning the Championship title.
Gale said: “After the game last week at Hampshire (Hampshire held on for a draw nine wickets down), I felt we’d played our best cricket down there. We were disappointed not to get the result.
“So to come back this week and back it up against a strong Somerset side, and to beat them in two days, is a fantastic effort.
“The lads, from start to finish, dominated that game.
“We knew coming into this part of the season we had to bring our A game to stand a chance of winning the Championship. We’re starting to show signs of being a really strong side.
“When you come back off a quarter-final loss (Blast), you worry how that will affect confidence. But the lads have hit the ground running.
“We’re playing some good cricket, confidence is high. The signs are good.”
On Fisher’s performance, Gale said: “I’m really pleased for Fish.
“He’s a great kid, and we all know his quality is there. But he’s had a rough ride over the last two or three years with injuries.
“He’s had some dark moments in the gym, I know that, and he’s questioned himself as to whether he will achieve what he wants from the game.
“But we’ve all seen his quality in this game. He’s a real match-winner, his skills are unbelievable, and he bowls good pace.
“We just want to keep him on the park now.”
On Brook, who scored his fourth career century in Championship cricket, he said: “He’s played a different game to everyone all season. At times in white ball cricket, he’s been phenomenal.
“He looked a class apart on this pitch where people struggled to time the ball and never felt in. He looked in total control from start to finish. His confidence is high. Getting his cap helped that.
“That was a match-winning innings. That’s what we ask of the lads. When no one else gets a big score, go out and play that know. And he did.
“He’s a match-winner, and he thrives on that. He’s got all the shots, and he’s showed it in this game.”
Jordan Thompson also chipped in with a fifty and three wickets on day two.
Gale added: “I think you all know how I feel about Tommo. He just makes things happen.
“He’s the sort of guy who you want in your team, and I love watching him play his cricket.
“He came off at the end just before he bowled that last spell and I said, ‘What do you think, can you squeeze another three or four overs out?’
“He said he was tired, but I said, ‘Come on mate’. And he’s taken two wickets to win the game. He’s an asset to us.”
Yorkshire face Warwickshire at Emerald Headingley in their penultimate Division One game, starting on Sunday.
