Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWPix.com. Dom Bess and Anthony McGrath, leading Yorkshire’s bid for Metro Bank One-Day Cup silverware.
Dom Bess says Sunday’s win over Sussex should provide the blueprint for his Yorkshire side moving forwards in the Metro Bank One-Day Cup.
Yorkshire beat the Sharks by 184 runs on DLS in a game reduced to 48 overs per side. The visitors racked up 325-7, including 117 from opener Will Luxton, before Ben Coad returned 5-12 from seven overs to help bowl Sussex out for just 140.
“In terms of a ruthless performance, that’s what I want moving forwards,” said competition captain Bess.
“Neath on Friday was important for the group in terms of winning ugly, then our quality shone through on Sunday. No disrespect to Sussex, they had a fairly young and inexperienced team, struggling with injuries and availability.
“But, for us, it was needed. I was happy.”
Bess’s comments indicate a steely determination within himself and the playing and coaching group to really have a crack at winning this competition, just as they did last year by reaching the semi-finals.
“I think we’ve been bubbling for a little bit now,” he continued.
“Obviously semi-finals last year.
Picture by Eva Gilbert/Sussex Cricket. Will Luxton en-route to a superb 117 at Hove on Sunday.
“And if you’re going to play for Yorkshire, that’s a responsibility from the players’ perspective. It’s a non-negotiable that we should be aiming for finals and to start winning things.
“It was awesome last year how we went about it, and we’ve built some really confidence from that and again over the weekend. After losing at Scarborough last week, to do what we’ve done in the last two games, good teams make that happen.
“The way Beany operated on Friday on a tricky pitch, then Luxy against Sussex, Sammy Whiteman played nicely too. We talk about accountability, and they did a really good job. Coady as well with the ball.”
While Bess was reflecting on a perfect weekend, he also looked ahead to an exciting week, starting tomorrow at York. Defending champions Worcestershire Rapids visit Clifton Park for an 11am start, which is followed by Durham at the same venue on Friday.
Both of those teams have started with two wins from two.
On Sunday, Yorkshire travel to Lord’s to face a Middlesex side who currently sit atop of Group B with three wins from three. The White Rose are currently second in the table.
“It’s going to be a great week,” said Bess. “York’s a great place to play cricket.
“Again, I’m glad we did what we did at Sussex because it shows the level we need to be at against Worcestershire, who are the defending champions.
Picture by Eva Gilbert/Sussex Cricket. Ben Coad with a List A career best 5-12 at Hove.
“Then it’s Durham who have a certain player in their team (Ben Stokes).
“We can attack this week, and I think it will certainly show us where we are in this competition.”
In terms of the two headliners from Hove, Luxton and Coad, Bess was full of praise.
On Luxton, he said: “Luxy’s always going to look good on the eye, but that’s his challenge. The way he struck it at Scarborough (64 against Hampshire last Tuesday) was beautiful.
“But I think if he looks back at that innings, if he gets 150 then we walk over the line.
“We’ve seen it time and time again. He’s a beautiful player on the eye, strikes the ball so cleanly, but the 50-over game is so long.
“The ability to go up and down the gears, as we saw (against Sussex), if he starts doing it properly – time and time again – he’ll get everything he deserves. He could really go right to the top.”
And on Coad, Bess added: “That was the Coady we know.
Picture by Matthew Lewis/Getty Images. Matthew Waite will face his former county at York tomorrow.
“First game at Scarborough, he would probably have been a bit disappointed (1-77 from 10 overs). I think the way he’s come back and shown his quality, that’s what we need from an experienced seamer, of which he’s our number one.
“For him to stand up like that, it probably showed their lads as well how to go about it on that wicket. I thought it was awesome.”
Worcestershire have won back-to-back home matches against Derbyshire and, on Sunday, Hampshire. They won the latter by only four runs defending a 308-target.
Captained by experienced batter Jake Libby, they have ex-Yorkshire all-rounder Matthew Waite in their side.
South African seamer Beyers Swanepoel is available to them as an overseas player but didn’t play against Hampshire at New Road on Sunday.
YORKSHIRE v WORCESTERSHIRE, LIST A CRICKET 1969-2022 – STAT PACK
Results (home and away): Played 66; Yorkshire won 31, Worcestershire won 33, No Result 2 (Abandoned 1).
Most recent results: 2022 – won by 4 wickets at Scarborough; 2019 – lost by 150 runs at Worcester.
Most successive wins: Yorkshire 4 (2011-2015), Worcestershire 4 (1987-1989, 2000-2003 and 2016-2019).
Highest innings totals: For Yorkshire, 346-9 (50 overs) at Headingley in 2018. For Worcestershire, 350-6 (50 overs) at Headingley in 2018.
Lowest innings totals: For Yorkshire 88, (48.5/55 overs) at Headingley in 1995. For Worcestershire, 86, (32.4/40 overs) at Headingley in 1969.
Highest individual score: For Yorkshire, 142 by G Boycott at Worcester in 1980. For Worcestershire, 118 by T Kohler-Cadmore at Worcester in 2017.
Highest partnerships: For Yorkshire, 164* for the second wicket between G Boycott (91*) and CWJ Athey (79*) at Worcester in 1981. For Worcestershire, 169 for the fifth wicket between GH Rhodes (106) and OB Cox (87) at Worcester in 2019.
Best bowling figures: For Yorkshire, 7-15 (7.4 overs) by RA Hutton at Headingley in 1969. For Worcestershire, 5-25 (7 overs) by WD Parnell at Worcester in 2019.
Most dismissals in an innings by a wicketkeeper: For Yorkshire, 4 (all caught) by JG Binks at Headingley in 1969 and RJ Blakey at Worcester in 2000. For Worcestershire, 4 by SJ Rhodes (all caught) at Bradford in 1985 and (3 caught and 1 stumped) Headingley in 1995, by SM Davies (all caught) at Worcester in 2006; by OB Cox (3 caught and 1 stumped) at Worcester in 2015 and (all caught) at Headingley (4 caught) in 2018.
Most catches in an innings by a fielder: For Yorkshire, 3 by SN Hartley at Worcester in 1981, by PW Jarvis at Worcester in 1990, by D Byas at both Headingley and Worcester in 1998, by MP Vaughan at Headingley in 1999 and by A Lyth at Worcester in 2017. For Worcestershire, 4 by D Leatherdale at Worcester in 2003 and 3 by TC Fell at Headingley in 2018.
At York…
This is Worcestershire’s first visit to York for a List A game; a total of nine different counties have played against Yorkshire in 10 matches from 2021 to 2025. Yorkshire have won five and lost four, there being one ‘No Result’.
The overall records for the ground are as follows:
Highest innings totals: For Yorkshire, 353-5 (50 overs) v Northamptonshire in 2022. Against Yorkshire, 320 (44.2/50 overs) by Northamptonshire in 2022.
Lowest innings totals: For Yorkshire, 134 (31.1/50 overs) v Hampshire in 2023. Against Yorkshire, 212 (44/50 overs) by Sussex in 2024.
Highest individual score: For Yorkshire, 143 by WAR Fraine v Northamptonshire in 2022. Against Yorkshire, 105 by TJ Prest for Hampshire in 2023.
Best bowling figures: For Yorkshire, 4-26 (6 overs) by MW Pillans v Nottinghamshire in 2021. Against Yorkshire, 4-34 (9.4 overs) by JT Ball for Somerset in 2025.
Compiled by Paul Dyson, Peter Horne and Martyn Webster – members of the Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians.
