Yorkshire secured a victory against Essex

A composed List A career-best 53 not out from Dom Bess led Yorkshire to a vital victory in a dramatic Metro Bank One-Day Cup match against Essex, securing a three-wicket win at Scarborough while chasing 244 and keeping their qualification hopes alive.

Both teams faced challenges on a lively pitch. Yorkshire stumbled from 102 for 2 to 184 for 7, losing Shan Masood for 58 and James Wharton for a career-best 71 from 89 balls. Essex’s Shane Snater took three wickets, but Essex’s fourth defeat in five Group B matches was sealed.

Essex struggled early, falling to 27 for 3 after being put into bat. Despite the top-order collapse, Robin Das and Luc Benkenstein stabilised the innings with 67 off 92 balls and 68 off 94 balls, respectively. Their partnership of 125 for the fourth wicket helped Essex reach 243 for 9. Yorkshire’s Ben Cliff and Ben Coad each took three wickets, with Coad also contributing 26 not out in an eighth-wicket stand of 60 with Bess, who struck six fours in his 55-ball innings.

Essex opener Feroze Khushi was dismissed by Cliff in the fourth over, and further wickets fell quickly, leaving Essex at 27 for 3. Nick Browne and captain Tom Westley fell to Coad and Cliff, respectively. Das and Benkenstein’s partnership was eventually broken when Das was dismissed by Matthew Revis. A flurry of wickets, including those by Dan Moriarty, Coad, and Cliff, saw Essex collapse to 190 for 8.

Ben Allison's unbeaten 27 was a bright spot for Essex, adding to the career-best scores of Benkenstein, Das, and Simon Fernandes.

Yorkshire’s chase faltered early with two wickets down for 18 runs, both taken by Snater. Masood and Wharton then shared an 84-run stand. Masood’s 46-ball fifty was his third consecutive in the campaign, and Wharton’s aggressive play put Yorkshire back on track. However, Yorkshire lost four wickets for 21 runs, including Masood, and were struggling at 123 for 6.