History-making Yorkshire CCC hammer Worcestershire inside three days

It beat the previous record margin set by Surrey, who thrashed Leicestershire by 483 runs at the Oval in 2002.

Yorkshire’s previous biggest victory was by 389 runs against Somerset at Bath in 1906, with Worcestershire’s previous heaviest defeat by 372 runs against Lancashire at Amblecote in 1906.

As in the first innings, Yorkshire were collectively outstanding with the ball, George Hill leading the way with 4-23.

Jack White and Jordan Thompson each took two wickets, Ben Coad and Adam Lyth capturing one apiece.

Earlier, Yorkshire declared on 315-4, setting Worcestershire 610 to win. To put that into context, no side has ever chased more than 536 in the game’s history, with the visitors left to bat out a minimum of 153 overs to escape with a draw.

Instead, they were blown away in just 37.1 overs, losing their last six wickets for 17 runs as Yorkshire ran riot.

The first session had been dominated by Dom Bess, who made his maiden century in Yorkshire colours.

Batting at No 3 as a nightwatchman, Bess scored 107 - equalling his career-best and only other first-class hundred, for MCC against Essex in the Champion County game of 2018.

Bess’s previous best for Yorkshire was 91 not out (also against Essex) at Headingley in 2019. That the 27-year-old all-rounder is no mug with the bat is evidenced by a first-class average in the late 20s, to go with 275 wickets in the low 30s.

Bess began the day - one of much cooler temperatures and a briskish westerly, along with occasional bursts of pleasant sunshine - with 10 to his name as Yorkshire resumed on 61-1, having chosen not to enforce the follow-on on Saturday evening despite leading by 294.

Adam Lyth, his partner, had 32 and had added just three to that tally when he pushed back the softest of return catches to Ben Allison before lingering momentarily at the crease as he stood with his legs crossed, with one hand leaning against his bat and the other against his side, as if to say, “Oh no, what have I done?”

It barely seemed to matter in the context of the scorecard, and Yorkshire’s lead continued to rise through Bess and James Wharton.

The latter pulled his second ball for six, sent down by the part-time off-spinner Jake Libby, while Bess showed real class with two delightful on-driven fours off Allison, strokes that any recognised No 3 would have been proud to play.

Bess went to his fifty from 71 balls, one that included eight fours, before Wharton’s attractive cameo was ended by a magnificent catch on the mid-wicket boundary, Ethan Brookes leaping like a goalkeeper to pluck from the sky a pick-up off Matthew Waite.

After Bess and Wharton added 77 from 81 balls, Dawid Malan arrived to maintain the momentum, nonchalantly driving his first ball from Waite to the cover boundary and adding an even 100 with Bess from 78 deliveries in the lead-up to lunch.

That was taken at the fall of Bess’s wicket, bowled as he played back to Libby to one that kept low, Bess facing 117 balls and hitting 13 fours and one six, a pull off Tom Taylor.

At that stage, Yorkshire’s lead was 537, but they continued to add to it after the break, Malan and Jonny Bairstow adding 72 in 8.3 overs before captain Bairstow pulled the plug.

Malan finished with 76 from 64 balls, with three fours and three sixes, Bairstow scoring 44 from 26 balls with an identical boundary record.

That batting was unlikely to be a bed of roses for the visitors, regardless of scoreboard pressure, was highlighted by a vicious delivery from Coad which reared up towards Gareth Roderick’s throat early in the piece.

Roderick hung around for an hour before following opening partner Libby back to the pavilion as the change bowlers Hill and Thompson made the first breakthroughs.

Hill pinned Libby lbw before Thompson had Roderick brilliantly caught by a diving Bess in the covers.

Worcestershire lost their third wicket in the final over before tea, Lyth deceiving Ethan Brookes through the gate.

Their fourth went down in the first over after it, Adam Hose shouldering arms to Jack White and losing his off pole.

Thereafter it was only a matter of time. Beneath increasingly overcast skies, Coad had Waite caught down the leg-side; White trapped Kashif Ali padding up; Hill had Brett D’Oliveira caught at first slip by Bess; Taylor was caught by Hill at first slip off Thompson; Hill bowled Allison and then had Jacob Duffy caught behind.