Yorkshire players celebrate a wicket during the win against Hampshire
Rothesay County Championship, Division One, Utilita Bowl, Southampton (day four)
Yorkshire 173 & 301: Lyth 51, Wharton 47; Organ 4-59
Hampshire 197 & 238: Albert 57, Bess 5-103
Yorkshire (19 pts) beat Hampshire (3pts) by 39 runs
Dom Bess delivered his first five-wicket haul of the season to hand Yorkshire a crucial victory in their nail-biting County Championship relegation battle with Hampshire.
Stand-in captain Bess returned 5-103 to break Hampshire's resolve and give Yorkshire a 33-point lead over their rivals for the drop at the bottom of a congested Division One.
Toby Albert's half century (57) had given his side hope of chasing 278, but they fell 39 runs short to put Hampshire in deep trouble of falling into the second tier for the first time since 2014.
The match encapsulated an incredibly tight Championship season – where six teams could still be considered in the title race and as many as seven teams are in or could get dragged into the relegation fight.
Momentum had swung either way throughout the four days on a hard, dry pitch, which had both got truer for batting, but also taken more spin.
The match path had led to 172 runs still being required by Hampshire at the start of day four, with seven wickets in hand.
Difficult scoring conditions meant the win was always likely to go to the side with more patience and it was Yorkshire who eventually proved decisive in the battle of endurance.
Tom Prest did not display the requisite qualities as he advanced and whipped Bess straight to mid-on to the 25th ball of the day.
But Albert and Ben Brown did for over an hour. The duo showed doggedness to keep their wickets while slowly chipping away at the runs.
Albert was rewarded with his fifth Championship half-century, and first since April last year, in a gritty 138 deliveries.