No plan B for Bepey as he chases cricketing dream with Yorkshire CCC
ISAAC BEPEY has told Yorkshire he is going “all out, no plan B” as he targets a long‑term career at the club after his eye‑catching arrival in the professional game.
The 25‑year‑old left‑arm seamer, who took three wickets on debut against Hampshire in the One-Day Cup at Scarborough on Tuesday, graduated last year from the University of Leeds with first‑class honours in medical engineering.
But rather than pursue a graduate role, Bepey has put everything on hold to chase cricketing ambitions he once thought had gone.
“I’m going to fully commit,” he told The Yorkshire Post. “If I have a job lined up, it’s almost like a fallback I don’t want, so I’m going to go all out and not make a plan B.”
Bepey’s rise is one of the more unconventional stories in county cricket.
Raised in Marden, a village near Maidstone, he spent his early years in Kent’s pathway before being released at 16. Most fall by the wayside at that point; Bepey didn’t.
“I dropped out of that system but kept loving my cricket,” he said. “I just played Premier League cricket for Tunbridge Wells instead.”
His academic path took him from The Judd School in nearby Tonbridge to Cardiff University, then to Leeds, where he joined the Leeds/Bradford UCCE squad for 2024–25 and featured in pre‑season matches against the first‑class counties.
It was there that a cricketing career began to feel possible. “I got a taste for it,” he said. “It felt like a realistic dream again.”
A winter playing grade cricket in Melbourne hardened that conviction. For Bepey, it was now or never.
When he returned to England, he needed an opportunity — so he made one himself. He went to a Yorkshire second‑team match at Weetwood and asked if he could bowl at lunch. Tom Smith, the assistant coach, liked what he saw.
“‘Smudge’ then gave me a ring before a twos game against Warwickshire. He said, ‘We’ve got an opportunity. Are you around?’ And I was like, ‘Absolutely I am.’”
Bepey took the wicket of Hamza Shaikh, the Warwickshire captain, in the first innings of that fixture at Headingley and made several second‑team appearances before his One-Day Cup debut — a competition increasingly used to expose younger players due to its clash with The Hundred.
His performance at Scarborough justified Smith’s judgement and his own self-belief and quiet perseverance.
He struck with the fourth ball of his third over, Fletcha Middleton edging behind a fine delivery that angled across him. Later, he removed Ashutosh Sharma, the Indian all-rounder, caught on the leg‑side boundary via a Fin Bean/Sam Whiteman relay, before Ben Brown was held at third man by Bean.
“I was overall pretty happy,” said Bepey, an amiable and unassuming figure. “The first wicket was a nice, proper wicket, I guess. I'm used to opening the bowling a lot, so first change is a slightly different experience, but obviously you don’t ever expect to just come in and take the new ball.
“My spell in the middle I was a little bit disappointed with. I think I just missed, and that's ultimately the margins when you take the step up from club cricket to second‑team cricket and then to this level. Your margin for error is just that bit smaller. But I executed my skills pretty well at the end, so I was happy with that.”
Bepey describes himself as someone who “bookends” the innings — “up top take wickets, and then I back my skills at the death, my slower balls and change‑ups”.
He believes his left‑arm angle gives him “a little bit of a USP” and “a slight leg up on a lot of other people” to “break those doors open a little bit”. Yorkshire have lacked left‑arm seam options in recent times; Bepey’s emergence offers flexibility.
As Yorkshire prepare to return to One-Day Cup action on Friday against Glamorgan at Neath — where Indian left‑arm spinner Kuldeep Yadav is set to debut — Bepey is enjoying life inside the Yorkshire set‑up. He will enjoy it even more if it leads to a contract.
“That’s obviously the dream. Growing up as a kid, it’s always the dream for so many kids. I realise how lucky I am to even have this opportunity. Hopefully I can build on this and really show the guys that I belong at this club.”
He says the environment has helped him settle quickly.
“The boys have been so good to me. I feel like I've had every chance to succeed here. There’s not been any pain points or anything I’ve been fighting against. The staff, the players, everyone, the support staff have been great.
“It’s been such an easy experience for me, so I’m obviously very grateful.”
For a man who once thought that his cricketing dream was over, Bepey’s story is a heartwarming one.
Whatever happens next, he can be proud of having engineered an unusual route towards fulfilling it at Yorkshire.