Joe Root and Dom Bess combined to bowl Yorkshire to victory against Somerset in the latest County Championship 2026 round on Monday (May 4).
Joe Root and Dom Bess star with the ball in Yorkshire's victory
Yorkshire began Day four on 365-9, but added only six more runs to their total to set Somerset a target of 260. George Hill provided Yorkshire two early breakthroughs by removing Archie Vaughan (4) and Tom Lammonby (4). After that, their spin duo got into the act.
Bess first had James Rew caught behind to push Somerset back to 21-3, before breaking a 64-run partnership by dismissing Tom Abell. Bess cut short another half-century partnership for the fifth wicket, getting rid of Joshua Thomas (57) as Somerset slipped to 136-5.
Root then led the dismantling of the tail. He first dismissed Thomas Rew caught behind, before taking the wickets of Craig Overton, Will Smeed, and Migael Pretorius all in the space of eight overs. Bess then finished proceedings by clean bowling No.11 Alife Ogborne to win Somerset the game by 75 runs.
Bess finished with 4-60 from 24.2 overs, while Root had 4-49 from 16. This was only the second time Root had taken a four-wicket haul in his County Championship career, and the first time he had done so in eight years. Across all first-class cricket, this was Root's fifth four-wicket haul, taking his overall wickets tally to 107 at an average of 47.21. Bess, on the other hand, now has 311 first-class wickets at 33.97 along with 29 hauls of four or more wickets.
Earlier in the match, Yorkshire had been bowled out for 164 after Lewis Gregory took 6-43. Somerset responded with a solid 274 riding on Joshua Thomas' 136. Bess bowled only eight overs in the first innings, picking up 1-21. Yorkshire then came back strongly with the bat. James Wharton (92), Root (64), and Jhye Richardson (50) made half-centuries to take them up to 371.
Match 35, Somerset vs Yorkshire
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- Ball by ball Over
This was Yorkshire's first outright win of the season, and Somerset's first outright defeat. Yorkshire are currently ninth in Division 1, while Somerset are third.
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