A fan favourite is making a return to Somerset County Cricket Club on a short-term loan deal.
Dom Bess, the 25-year-old SCCC Academy graduate, joins from Yorkshire on loan, and goes straight into Somerset's squad for the County Championship match this week.
The Sidmouth star and England international made a guest appearance for his hometown club last weekend, bashing a rapid 79 with the bat and then claiming two wickets in three overs during a comfortable win over North Devon.
Bess made his Somerset debut against Pakistan at the Cooper Associates County Ground in 2016 and went on to make 26 First Class appearances for the County, claiming 79 wickets and scoring over 750 runs before joining Yorkshire in 2020.
He made his Test debut against Pakistan at Lord’s in 2018 and to date has featured in 14 red-ball games for England, taking 36 wickets and scoring over 300 runs.
On his return, Bess said: “Somerset is a County that will always be close to my heart and I’m excited to have the opportunity to return to the Club where my cricketing journey began.
“It’s a short-term arrangement and I hope that I can play a part in helping Somerset win some cricket before returning to Yorkshire.”
SCCC director of cricket, Andy Hurry added his delight on the signing: "Dom is a quality cricketer, and he knows what it means to represent Somerset County Cricket Club.
"He knows the group of players that we have here, and he has the ability to make a real difference for us on the field.
“We’ve had a number of injuries recently, and we are also very mindful of the learnings taken form 2022 leading into Finals Day, so to be able to bring a player of Dom’s class and experience back on this short-term loan is very much appreciated, and we are grateful to Yorkshire CCC for enabling this to occur.”
The immediate focus for Somerset is a trip to Edgbaston on Saturday for the T20 Vitality Blast Finals Day, where they will meet Surrey in the semi-finals. Hampshire take on Essex in the other semi-final and the winners of these ties then progress to the showpiece game on a brilliant day of non-stop boundaries and wickets.
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