Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWPix.com. Dom Bess is relishing the prospect of a silverware hunt during the second half of 2026.
Yorkshire are set up for a hugely exciting second half of the season, with silverware still a very realistic possibility across all three competitions.
The White Rose are ideally placed at the halfway stage of the Vitality Blast T20 competition, top of the North Group with four wins from six games.
They are also only 16 points off leaders Essex in Division One of the Rothesay County Championship at its midway point, with two wins to their name from seven.
They oh so nearly claimed win number three against Warwickshire at Scarborough on Monday, denied as the Bears, who started day four on 44-1, finished on 338-8 in their pursuit of 453.
Next up in the Championship are bottom-side Leicestershire at the Uptonsteel County Ground, Grace Road on Friday, starting at 11am.
“You can never win it in April and May,” said all-rounder Dom Bess, of the Championship. “But you can certainly lose. And when I say lose it, I mean be at the bottom and be in danger of being relegated.
“It’s also the time of year when you need to give yourself a chance in T20.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWPix.com. Will Luxton will hope to back up his 167 and 69 in the most recent draw against Warwickshire when Yorkshire get started at Grace Road tomorrow.
“When you get to September, that’s when you win things. And we’re putting performances together now, nicely, to slowly build up to that.
“After these two games we’ll have played, just over halfway, we’ll have a real good indication of where we’re going to be in the Championship.
“Obviously, the 50-over competition hasn’t even started yet. But the really positive thing for the 50-over competition, I think, is the way we’ve operated in T20 so far. That’s been chalk and cheese from last year.
“It was a shame last Sunday, losing like we did down at Leicestershire. But they do happen. Don’t get me wrong, we don’t just accept it. But you’d rather it happen then than later on down the line.
“Look, everything’s there for us to play for. It’s exciting.”
Yorkshire head to the East Midlands to face a Leicestershire side who were promoted last season as Division Two champions but have lost five of their first seven games, drawing the other two. They were beaten at home by new league leaders Essex on Monday and are on a four-game losing streak in the Championship.
“Looking at the wicket down there, it looked like it did plenty,” said coach Anthony McGrath of that Leicestershire versus Essex game, which the visitors won by six wickets chasing 215.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWPix.com. Head coach Anthony McGrath was delighted with Yorkshire’s performance against Warwickshire and would love a repeat against Leicestershire.
“They need results as well, so you’d think it’ll be a pitch conducive to a result.
“For us, it’s just about…I’ve barked on for the last 12-18 months about that consistency. Hopefully we’re finding it from our last two red-ball performances.”
Coached by Alfonso Thomas, Leicestershire are captained by all-rounder Ben Green. They have New Zealand batter Nick Kelly as their overseas player. Opener Rishi Patel is their leading run-scorer with 520 and Green their leading wicket-taker with 26 via his seamers.
Ex-Yorkshire wicketkeeper-batter Jonny Tattersall has only played four Championship matches for the Foxes this season, posting one hundred and two fifties. He didn’t play in the aforementioned Essex game.
Bess, meanwhile, is enjoying an encouraging season personally thanks to 20 wickets with his off-spin and 251 runs from the lower middle order. He has been an ever-present across the seven four-day games.
He said: “I think it’s been alright. Ok. I still think I could contribute a bit better.
“I got quite a few wickets in the red-ball now, but I think I can operate better with the bat.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWPix.com. Hassan Ali took four wickets against Leicestershire at Grace Road in the Blast a couple of Sundays ago. Something similar with the red ball against the Foxes would be ideal.
“With the ball, I felt I could have been better on Saturday (against Warwickshire). But there is a reality with that all we’d been doing leading up to that was white-ball cricket. You then get thrust into a howling wind, and bowling at Scarborough is a bit different to everywhere else.
“But the real positive is that I still contributed with two wickets in two balls.
“I felt I bowled really nicely at the start of the season when I got into a bit of a rhythm. But, again, it just comes through timings of the competitions and rhythm.”
LEICESTERSHIRE v YORKSHIRE, FIRST-CLASS CRICKET – 1894-2024 – STAT PACK
Note-: “at Leicester” denotes Grace Road except where AR denotes Aylestone Road.
Results: County Championship: Played 170; Yorkshire won 85, Leicestershire won 16, Drawn 68, Tied 1. (Abandoned 2). Non-Championship: Played 3; Yorkshire won 2 and Leicestershire won 1.
At Grace Road, Leicester (all f-c): Played 52; Yorkshire won 27; Leicestershire won 8; drawn 17.
Most recent results: 2024 at Headingley, match drawn. At Leicester, Yorkshire won by an innings and 72 runs.
Leicestershire’s most recent win was by 3 wickets in 2023. Their only previous win at Headingley was by 259 runs in 1910. The 2023 match-aggregate is the second-highest in a Yorkshire first-class match.
Most successive wins: Yorkshire, 8 (1898-1901); Leicestershire have never had successive wins.
Two wins in a season: Yorkshire, 22 times, Leicestershire never achieved this, best is 2 wins in 3 games (1910-11 and 1974-76).
Highest totals: For Yorkshire, 660, at Leicester in 1896. For Leicestershire, 681-7dec at Bradford in 1996.
Lowest totals: For Yorkshire, 47, at Leicester (AR) in 1911. For Leicestershire, 34 at Headingley in 1906.
Highest individual score: For Yorkshire, 341 by GH Hirst at Leicester (AR) in 1905. For Leicestershire, 218 by JJ Whitaker at Bradford in 1996. Hirst’s innings is the highest for Yorkshire against any team.
Highest wicket partnerships: For Yorkshire, 329 for the fifth wicket between F Mitchell (194) and E Wainwright (153) at Leicester in 1899. For Leicestershire, 270 for the fourth wicket between CS Dempster (146) and GS Watson (122) at Hull in 1937.
Best bowling figures (innings): For Yorkshire, 8-25 by GH Hirst at Hull in 1907. For Leicestershire, 9-63 by CT Spencer at Huddersfield in 1954.
Best bowling figures (match): For Yorkshire, 15-63 (8-25 and 7-38) by GH Hirst at Hull in 1907. For Leicestershire, 12-139 (8-85 and 4-54) by AD Pougher at Leicester in 1895.
Hat-tricks: For Yorkshire, 2 – by GH Hirst at Leicester in 1895 and at Hull in 1907. For Leicestershire, 1 – by PB Clift at Leicester in 1976.
Most dismissals in an innings by a wicketkeeper: For Yorkshire, 5 (all caught) by RJ Blakey at Harrogate in 1994. For Leicestershire, 6 (all caught) by RW Tolchard at Headingley in 1973 and 6 (all caught) by ND Burns at Leicester in 2001.
Most dismissals in a match by wicketkeeper: For Yorkshire, 7 by JG Binks (6 caught, 1 stumped) at Scarborough in 1963, by RJ Blakey (7 caught) at Harrogate in 1994. For Leicestershire, 9 by ND Burns (8 caught, 1 stumped) at Leicester in 2001; 8 by PA Nixon (all caught) at Sheffield (Abbeydale Park) in 1990.
Most catches in an innings by a fielder: For Yorkshire, 6 by EP Robinson at Bradford 1938; 5 by J Tunnicliffe at Headingley in 1897, at Leicester in 1900 and at Scarborough in 1901. Robinson’s 6 catches is the Yorkshire record against any team and was equalled by T Kohler-Cadmore against Kent in 2019. For Leicestershire, no instance of more than 4.
Most catches in match by a fielder: For Yorkshire, 7 by J Tunnicliffe at Headingley in 1897 and at Leicester in 1900 and by EP Robinson at Bradford in 1938; 6 by GG Macaulay at Bradford in 1933. For Leicestershire, 6 by GW Hillyard at Leicester in 1895.
Taking 7 catches in a match is a record for Yorkshire against any opponent and has been equalled by 3 others: AB Sellers in 1933, A Lyth in 2014 and T Kohler-Cadmore in 2019.
A century and five wickets in an innings in the same match: For Yorkshire, GH Hirst 107 and 5-67 and 1-46 at Leicester in 1896; FS Jackson 147 and 5-20 and 3-34 at Leicester in 1898, E Wainwright 153 and 1-16 and 6-44 at Leicester in 1899, CM Old 115* and 0 and 5-32 at Bradford 1975. No instance for Leicestershire.
At Grace Road, Leicester…
Highest innings totals: Yorkshire, 660 in 1896. Leicestershire, 406/8d in 1997.
Lowest innings totals: Yorkshire, 52 in 1999. Leicestershire, 57 in 1898.
Highest individual score: For Yorkshire, 248* by A Lyth in 2012. For Leicestershire, 167 by P Willey in 1984.
Best bowling figures (innings): For Yorkshire, 7-50 by D Wilson in 1968. For Leicestershire, 8-85 by AD Pougher in 1895.
Best bowling figures (match): For Yorkshire, 12-92 (5-36 and 7-57) by R Appleyard in 1951. For Leicestershire, 12-139 (8-85 and 4-54) by AD Pougher in 1895.
Compiled by Paul Dyson, Peter Horne and Martyn Webster – members of the Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians.
