Gloucestershire gained their first T20 Blast title in superb fashion as they beat holders Somerset, comprehensively outplaying their West Nation rivals to assert their first trophy in 9 years.
Openers Cameron Bancroft, up in opposition to his former county, and Miles Hammond each hit half-centuries at Edgbaston as they gained by eight wickets with 31 balls to spare.
Somerset’s hopes of a trophy treble, which had been given such a giant increase by Thursday’s sensational County Championship win over Surrey, elevated after they beat Surrey once more in a well-contested semi-final.
However that treble dream – and the prospect to develop into the primary facet to retain their trophy – ended after they proved no match for a Gloucestershire facet who got here from nowhere to squeeze by within the Southern Group, then adopted it up with three straight Edgbaston wins.
The unlikely quarter-final victory over Birmingham Bears eight days in the past, Saturday afternoon’s eight-wicket win over Sussex after which this repeat eight-wicket walloping earned Gloucestershire their first knockout trophy win for the reason that 2015 One-Day Cup.
It was additionally a marvellous time out for his or her followers after beforehand being denied within the very first T20 Finals Day in 2003, Kent within the remaining in 2007 and Covid in 2020, when the county final made it to a then empty Edgbaston.
It was additionally a private triumph for coach Mark Alleyne, who performed in the one different cup remaining assembly between Somerset and Gloucestershire within the Nat West Trophy at Lord’s 25 years in the past.
Somerset nonetheless have the Championship title and the One-Day Cup to go at, whereas Gloucestershire grew to become the 14th facet to win the T20 – leaving Yorkshire, Durham, Derbyshire and Glamorgan as the one 4 sides to not have performed so in its 22 editions.