It has been an incredible fortnight for Dom Bess, Somerset’s anonymous off-spinner. Actually, he is becoming something of a local hero but at the moment he plays in a shirt that has no name and no number. Bess is not really a fully-fledged professional, but that should change soon – he has started to contemplate his number for next season.
This summer Bess, 19, has been with the academy but suddenly he has become an influential figure in the destination of the County Championship title. Two weeks ago he played his first match against Warwickshire – his first-class debut came when he went wicketless against Pakistan in July – and took eight wickets for 59 . His contribution against Nottinghamshire on Wednesday, 41 runs and five for 43, was just as influential.
On Tuesday night Somerset had self-destructed spectacularly, losing five wickets for no runs. A fourth batting point seemed beyond them after they had subsided from 322 for four to 322 for nine. It is fair to say that the momentum had been surrendered.
Bess recalls his day with the wide-eyed relish of a young man who, to use his words, is experiencing “a dream come true”. He is a more accomplished batsman than Jack Leach, his last-wicket partner, but not so experienced, and he recognised that one more bonus point was vital both statistically and in terms of the mood in the dressing room. “I backed Leachy all the way [to stay in],” said Bess afterwards “and we took it ball by ball. We wanted to stay patient and look for that 350. I just tried not to nick off against [Jake] Ball and to look out for [Imran] Tahir’s googly.” He did both superbly in between some sweetly struck drives and when the batting point was acquired a raucous cheer rang around Taunton. “The boys were buzzing when Leachy and I came off,” said Bess, who eventually fell as Somerset reached 365.
This pair of unlikely spin-twins was soon in harness again after Nottinghamshire had lost Steve Mullaney against the new ball. In this union Leach, in his second year in the team, is suddenly the senior man. “Leach is just awesome; he talks to me a lot,” says Bess. It transpires that this includes telling the newcomer to hold the ball in such a way that he does not remove all the shine within the space of an over.
Bess took the important wickets in an afternoon when Somerset’s chances of a Championship heist improved dramatically. Tom Moores played a flat batted-drive and was caught at slip; Jake Libby was deftly taken at short-leg by Tom Abell and then Bess stuck out his left-hand to take a superb return catch from Michael Lumb.
Now Nottinghamshire were in freefall. There would be no contributions from their experienced middle-order. Samit Patel was alertly stumped by Ryan Davies off Leach when propping forward and over-balancing sufficiently for his back foot to be on the line rather than behind it. Chris Read was aghast to be given run out after he had been called for a sharp single by Billy Root, Joe’s kid brother. There was no respite for them – or indeed those keeping an eye on proceedings at Lord’s – as Leach removed Root and Matt Carter with consecutive deliveries in the first over after tea.
Then Bess mopped up the tail, benefiting from an unavailing heave from Brett Hutton and a reverse sweep from Ball.
In the 20th century the follow-on would have been enforced automatically with a lead of 227. But here there was no great surprise that Somerset chose to bat again. In 25 overs they struck 105 for the loss of their openers. Ryan Davies came out at No4 instead of James Hildreth, who has a broken ankle and is “unlikely” to bat again in the match – they have learnt to take nothing for granted down here.
Bess, meanwhile, prepares for another day as a first-class cricketer. He will be tossed the ball in the second innings as a potential match-winner. Bowling off-breaks for the county has never seemed such a wonderfully straightforward operation.
Once this game is over – and if Somerset win it a long-cherished dream could come true, depending on what happens at Lord’s – Bess can concentrate on his negotiations with Somerset for a contract next year. It strikes me that he is in quite a good bargaining position.
