Image: Somerset beat Yorkshire by six wickets in the One-Day Cup / © ESPNCricinfo
Under a moody Yorkshire sky at York Cricket Club on August 14, 2025, Yorkshire stepped up to bat first in their Group B One-Day Cup clash after Somerset’s captain, James Rew, won the toss and chose to field. By the time their 48.4 overs were done, Yorkshire had scratched together 247 runs. The innings was a rollercoaster, early wickets rattled them, a gutsy middle-order stand led by Matthew Revis gave them hope, but Somerset’s bowlers, with Jake Ball leading the charge, kept things tight, ensuring Yorkshire’s total stayed within reach.
Adam Lyth and Finlay Bean opened the innings, tasked with giving Yorkshire a flying start. Lyth, a crowd favorite with a knack for flashy cover drives, looked in fine fettle, cracking two boundaries in his 13 off 17 balls. But Jake Ball, Somerset’s lanky pacer, had other plans. In the sixth over, he got one to nip back, catching Lyth off guard. The ball ballooned back to Ball for a simple caught-and-bowled, silencing the home fans. Moments later, disaster struck again. William Luxton, batting at three, was caught napping by Joshua Thomas’s rocket arm, running out for a duck after a mix-up. At 22/2 after 6.2 overs, Yorkshire were in a hole, and Somerset’s bowlers were circling like sharks, sniffing early blood on a pitch offering just enough help.
Things didn’t get any easier. James Wharton, striding in at four, looked to counterattack but found himself tied down by Somerset’s relentless accuracy. His scratchy 3 off 7 balls ended when Ben Green drew an edge, snapped up by keeper James Rew in the ninth over. Yorkshire were 28/3, their top order in ruins. Finlay Bean, though, refused to buckle. His 28 off 53 balls, with three crisp fours, was a lesson in grit, as he nudged singles and played for time. But just as he seemed to find his groove, debutant James Theedom struck in the 17th over, tempting Bean into a loose drive that Lewis Goldsworthy gobbled up in the covers. At 72/4, Yorkshire needed a hero, and Somerset were firmly in the driver’s seat.
That hero arrived in Matthew Revis, whose 85 off 85 balls was the backbone of Yorkshire’s effort. With nine boundaries and a strike rate of 100, Revis played with a mix of steel and flair, picking gaps and punishing anything off line. He found a steady partner in George Hill, who chipped in with a patient 41 off 57 balls, including three fours. Their 102-run stand for the fifth wicket was the innings’ turning point, hauling Yorkshire past 150 and igniting dreams of a 300-plus total. Revis was especially sharp against the spinners, skipping down the track to lofted drives, while Hill played the foil, rotating the strike with calm assurance.
But cricket has a way of flipping the script. Just as Yorkshire looked set to dominate, Somerset clawed back. In the 35th over, Ben Green returned to dismiss Revis, who miscued a lofted shot to Tom Lammonby at mid-off. The 85-run vigil was over, and Yorkshire’s momentum went with it. Harry Duke, the keeper, came in swinging, but his 7 off 6 balls ended when Lammonby’s inswinger sent his stumps cartwheeling in the 37th over. At 183/6, the wheels were wobbling. Captain Dom Bess tried to up the tempo, smashing three fours in his 19 off 15 balls, but Lammonby struck again, getting him caught by Thomas Rew in the 41st over. Hill had fallen earlier, caught by Kasey Aldridge off Ball in the 39th over, leaving Yorkshire’s lower order with a steep task.
Dan Moriarty provided a late spark, blazing 30 off 27 balls with three fours and two massive sixes, dragging Yorkshire toward 250. Matt Milnes, unbeaten on 14 off 23, hung around, but the end came swiftly. Jake Ball returned to finish the job, cleaning up Moriarty and Benjamin Cliff (out for a duck) in the 48th over. Ball’s 4 for 34 in 9.4 overs was a masterclass, his pace and movement too much for Yorkshire’s tail. Ben Green (2 for 34) and Tom Lammonby (2 for 37) backed him up, while Kasey Aldridge and Jack Leach kept it tight, conceding 51 and 58 runs respectively. James Theedom, on his List A debut, chipped in with 1 for 32. Somerset’s discipline shone through, with just 7 extras (6 wides, 1 leg bye). Revis’s 85 and the Hill partnership gave Yorkshire a fighting chance, but the early collapse and late slide meant 247 was a gettable target.
Chasing 248, Somerset put on a batting masterclass, reaching 252/4 in 49.1 overs to seal a six-wicket win with five balls to spare. Led by a majestic 95 from Archie Vaughan, Somerset’s batsmen played with poise and purpose, shrugging off Yorkshire’s bowling efforts. Somerset’s chase kicked off with Vaughan and Tom Lammonby facing the new ball. Vaughan, oozing class, stroked 11 fours in his 95 off 127 balls, blending elegance with steely resolve at a strike rate of 74.80. Lammonby, though, couldn’t find his rhythm, scratching out 11 off 21 balls before George Hill struck in the seventh over, with Adam Lyth pouching a sharp catch in the slips. At 36/1, Yorkshire had a sniff, but Vaughan’s calm presence kept Somerset on track.
Lewis Goldsworthy joined Vaughan and played a cracking cameo, smashing 30 off 39 balls with three fours and a six. Their 75-run stand for the second wicket took Somerset to 111 by the 24th over, with Goldsworthy’s flair complementing Vaughan’s poise. Just as they threatened to take the game away, Matthew Revis struck, with Dan Moriarty taking a diving catch to remove Goldsworthy. Vaughan, unfazed, kept the chase on course, handling Yorkshire’s pace and spin with ease. His dismissal for 95 in the 37th over, bowled by a sharp turner from Dom Bess, gave Yorkshire hope at 175/3, but Somerset were still in control.
James Rew, the captain, stepped up with an unbeaten 53 off 62 balls, stroking three fours and a six with unruffled calm. Thomas Rew added fireworks, hammering 31 off 28 balls with three fours and two sixes, before falling to Revis in the 44th over, caught by Bess. With 27 runs needed off the last five overs, Joshua Thomas joined Rew and closed it out with a blazing 27 not out off 18 balls, including three fours and a six. Somerset reached 252/4 in 49.1 overs, their chase a textbook display of control.
Yorkshire’s bowlers fought hard but came up short. Revis led with 2 for 30 in four overs, while Bess was superb, conceding just 27 runs in 10 overs, including a maiden, and nabbing Vaughan. George Hill took 1 for 36, but Dan Moriarty (0 for 58), Matt Milnes (0 for 48), and Benjamin Cliff (0 for 30) couldn’t break through. Adam Lyth’s three overs cost 21 runs. With only 5 extras (2 byes, 3 wides), Yorkshire were tidy but lacked the killer instinct to derail Somerset’s chase.
Jake Ball’s electric spell was the defining moment, earning him TCNI’s Magic Moment of the Game. Over 9.4 overs, Ball was a force of nature, finishing with 4 for 34 at a stingy economy of 3.51 and his early strike to dismiss Adam Lyth for 13 in the sixth over set the tone, breaking Yorkshire’s back before they could settle.
Ball’s relentless pace and late swing kept the batsmen guessing, and his 36 dot balls strangled their scoring. He returned to devastating effect in the 48th over, removing Dan Moriarty and Benjamin Cliff in quick succession to wrap up Yorkshire’s innings at 247. His ability to strike at crucial moments, from toppling the top order to cleaning up the tail, ensured Somerset kept the target within reach.
Archie Vaughan’s sublime 95 off 127 balls earned him TCNI’s Hero of the Day, as he steered Somerset to a six-wicket win. With 11 fours and a strike rate of 74.80, Vaughan’s innings was a masterclass in composure, blending elegant drives with gritty resolve. His 75-run stand with Lewis Goldsworthy set the foundation, taking Somerset to 111 by the 24th over and even as Yorkshire’s bowlers, led by Dom Bess, fought back, Vaughan kept his cool, guiding the chase with maturity beyond his years.
Falling for 95 to Bess’s spin in the 37th over, he left Somerset at 175/3, well-poised for victory. Supported by James Rew’s unbeaten 53 and Joshua Thomas’s fiery 27 not out, Vaughan’s knock was the cornerstone of Somerset’s chase, ensuring they crossed the line at 252/4 in 49.1 overs with five balls to spare.