Yorkshire’s hopes of Metro Bank One-Day Cup are still alive after a thrilling three-wicket victory over Essex as Dom Bess starred late but decisively in a pursuit of 244 with a career best unbeaten 53.
The county bounced back from defeat against Gloucestershire at York on Friday to seal a crucial success in a Group B fixture which swung this way and that and had many contributors – from both sides.
Yorkshire have now won three and lost two and will have a great chance of sealing a top-three berth for knockout cricket with two more wins from the last three games.
This fixture was played on a competitive North Marine Road pitch, and Bess pulled Ben Allison’s seam for four with the first ball of the 49th over.
Both sides missed the chance to convert advantages in their respectively innings, but Yorkshire held their nerve thanks to Bess and the excellent Ben Coad, who claimed three wickets and hit 26 not out.
Key contributions with the ball came from new ball pair Coad and Ben Cliff. Both struck three times apiece as Essex were limited to 243-9. Cliff returned a career best 3-54 from 10 overs and Coad 3-41.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com. Dom Bess and Ben Coad celebrate today’s victory over Essex.
In reply, captain Shan Masood made 58 and James Wharton a career best 71 off 89 balls. Masood fell as Yorkshire slipped from 103-2 to 184-7. Bess hit six fours in 55 balls.
Yorkshire started nicely through new ball pair Cliff and Coad, the former striking twice and the latter once to give the hosts the early initiative having elected to bowl.
Masood’s decision to bowl may have been partly down to some morning rain, and the Vikings were rewarded as Essex slipped to 27-3 inside six overs.
Feroze Khushi may have pulled Cliff for six in the second over, but he played on to the same bowler in the fourth.
Nick Browne then miscued Coad to mid-wicket and captain Tom Westley carved Cliff to backward point.
Then came the impressive Essex fightback through Das and Benkenstein, who shared 125 for the fourth wicket – an Essex record for that particular wicket in List A matches against Yorkshire.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com. Ben Cliff celebrates trapping Essex’s Jamal Richards lbw – one of three wickets today.
This was by no means a dynamic recovery, understandable given the early damage done. But Das led the way as the pair rotated strike and picked up boundaries when they could under a sunny East Coast sky.
Das pulled Matthew Revis for six and ramped Cliff for four.
The Essex pair reached their fifties – their second of this season’s competition – within 20 minutes of each other; Das off 67 balls and Benkenstein 71. By the time the latter got there, the visitors were 150 for three in the 32nd over.
Thankfully, Revis was able to remove Das caught at deep cover before, seven overs later, Moriarty had a reverse-sweeping Noah Thain brilliantly caught by a diving James Wharton having run around towards deep backward point.
Thain’s departure was the first of four wickets to fall for the addition of five runs in 12 balls as Essex’s chances of acceleration were shackled.
Coad then had Benkenstein caught at wide mid-on before Snater and Jamal Richards also fell to Coad and Cliff – caught at point and lbw respectively – as the score fell to 190-8 in the 42nd over.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com. Ben Coad celebrates dismissing Essex’s Nick Browne.
George Hill had Simon Fernandes caught behind, but Ben Allison was able to give the Chelmsford side some late cheer with an unbeaten 27.
Tall seamer Allison was then part of a useful start to Essex’s defence, with his new ball partner Snater claiming both wickets as Yorkshire slipped to 18-2 inside seven overs.
Harry Duke, promoted up the order to open, was first to go when he edged to second slip, where Thain took a sharp catch above his head. Fin Bean following when he miscued to the same bowler to mid-on.
Like Das and Benkenstein had earlier, Masood and Wharton then set about a recovery, sharing 84 for the third wicket.
Despite only hitting four boundaries in his fifty, Masood got there off 44 balls, while Wharton had pulled an early six over mid-wicket off Aaron Beard’s seam.
They took the score beyond 100 before Masood was trapped lbw attempting to pull at Westley’s off-spin – 102-3 in the 24th over.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com. James Wharton pulls one of his two sixes at Scarborough today.
Will Luxton was caught at cover off Essex captain Westley before Hill was bowled by one angled in from Snater and the pace of Richards had Revis caught behind.
But another of the game’s recoveries came as Wharton and Bess, who earlier only bowled one over of spin, added 61 for the seventh wicket. It was the start of a memorable and successful conclusion.
Wharton reached his 79-ball fifty with two sixes in that time before falling to a brilliant leaping catch at mid-on from Browne off Thain’s seam – 184-7 in the 40th.
Bess then worked and guided the ball beautifully to delight the 3,113 crowd, while Coad was adventurous as usual.
They sealed a valuable two points which puts the Vikings level on six points with third-placed Nottinghamshire.
The first of three remaining games, starting with fellow contenders Leicestershire here on Thursday.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com. The glorious scene at North Marine Road today.
