Dom thinks he’s dreaming with stunning debut
Somerset 95 & 211 beat Warwickshire 123 & 152 by 31 runs
DOM Bess admitted to fearing he might be dreaming midway through the first morning of an unforgettable County Championship debut for Somerset.
The 19-year-old off-spinner, from Sidmouth, had just claimed his maiden first class wicket against Warwickshire, with no less a scalp than Jonathan Trott, and then saw Ian Bell walking to the crease.
“It was a surreal experience,” said Bess. “These were players I had grown up watching on TV and I felt like asking someone to pinch me to make sure it was really happening.”
Far from being fazed, the teenager took a return catch to dismiss Bell first ball on his way to stunning debut figures of six for 28.
His efforts kept Somerset in the game after they had been bowled out for 95 in an extended first morning session and Jack Leach capitalised with six for 42 in the second innings as the hosts pulled off an amazing 31run win by 11.10am on day three.
Bess added two victims to his first innings wickets for match figures of 859, which bettered even those of left-arm spinner Leach, whose 8-90 in the game took his tally of first class wickets for the season to 55.
That may well put the 25-year-old on England’s radar for a winter tour. But he was happy enough to let Bess grab the plaudits at the end of a game he will never forget.
Bess said:“It was a crazy first two days and to come back the way we did after being bowled out for 95 was amazing.
“I have never played in a match like it. To see 21 wickets fall on day one of a game at Taunton was unbelievable.
“I only knew I was playing on the first morning.Unfortunately,my dad is away on holiday and my mum was working so I had only my girlfriend, her parents and a few mates watching.
“It made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up to dismiss Trott and Bell with successive balls. I will always be able to say Trott was my maiden first class victim and you can’t ask for more than that.”
A product of Sidmouth Cricket Club and then Exeter CC and a graduate from Devon age-group cricket, Bess spent last winter at the Darren Lehmann Academy in Adelaide while playing grade cricket in Australia.
“I learned so much, not only as a cricketer, but as a person,” he said. “For an 18-year-old to go out to Australia by himself means you have to grow quickly as an individual.
“The cricket over there is hard, so it was a real challenge. I also owe a lot to Somerset’s academy and,in particular, Paul Tweddle, who has worked hard with me on my bowling.
“Jason Kerr and Greg Kennis have been influential in improving my batting and I would like to be regarded as a bowler, who can bat big in future years.
“I always bowled off-spin because I was a little porker when I was younger and didn’t fancy a long runup!”
The other main talking point of an action-packed match was a pitch that assisted first Warwickshire’s seamers after Somerset had won the toss and then the spinners on both sides, Jeetan Patel claiming 5-86 in the home side’s second innings.
Visiting skipper Bell summed it up:“It was never dangerous, so there was no cause for complaint.The ECB want pitches that turn, but I don’t think that sort of surface is good for cricket.
“They aren’t even great for developing spinners because, while they might get more wickets, if they move up to international level they will find conditions very different.”
Of his team’s performance, Bell added: “It summed up our Championship cricket this season because we were good in spells, but not consistent.We are right in the mix at the wrong end of the table now, but we can’t afford to dwell on that because we have a big oneday final coming up soon.”