Smeed Takes Somerset Past Hampshire To Win T20 Blast

Vitality Blast final, Edgbaston

Hampshire 194-6 (20 overs): Albert 85, Vince 52; Ball 2-39

Somerset 195-4 (19 overs): Smeed 94; Currie 2-44

Somerset triumph by six wickets

Match scorecard

Somerset chased a record-breaking 195 to hit Hampshire Hawks and triumph their 3rd T20 Blast title.

Will Smeed's magnificent 94 disconnected 58 balls formed nan backbone of Somerset's innings, while Sean Dickson weighed successful pinch a important 33 not out.

Smeed fell astatine nan commencement of nan 19th complete pinch 18 still needed, but skipper Lewis Gregory came successful and struck 2 sixes to return Somerset to 195-4 - nan highest people successful a final.

After Chris Lynn's blistering period successful nan semi-final, Hampshire impressed pinch nan bat again making 194-6.

Toby Albert became nan competition's starring run-scorer this play pinch 85 disconnected 48 deliveries but Hampshire were denied a 4th Blast trophy acknowledgment to Smeed's awesome knock.

Somerset now subordinate Hampshire and Leicestershire pinch 3 titles, pursuing their wins successful 2005 and 2023.

Somerset tin now proudly declare to beryllium nan squad to hit successful T20 cricket successful England having made 3 finals successful a row, winning 2 of them.

Following their 2023 triumph complete Essex it was a different communicative past play arsenic they suffered an eight-wicket thrashing astatine nan hands of Gloucestershire.

They appeared to beryllium struggling to support up pinch nan required run-rate of almost 10 per complete this clip astir earlier Smeed and Dickson turned nan crippled connected its caput pinch a fourth-wicket guidelines of 88.

Smeed and Tom Kohler-Cadmore, who made an outstanding 81 successful their semi-final triumph complete Lancashire, had sewage Somerset disconnected to a lightning start, taking them to 46-0 successful nan 5th complete erstwhile Kohler-Cadmore was bowled by Sonny Baker's accelerated yorker.

On a time wherever 44 sixes were struck, Kohler-Cadmore deed nan biggest of them each erstwhile he swiped Chris Wood complete nan Eric Hollies Stand.

But a mates of overs later he was gone arsenic young England paceman Baker yorked him pinch an 88mph beauty.

At 89-3 successful nan 10th over, nan crippled was successful nan equilibrium but Smeed continued to find boundaries, hitting 14 fours and a six successful total.

Perhaps nan important infinitesimal came successful nan 14th complete erstwhile Scott Currie dropped Dickson connected nan bound pinch nan required run-rate supra 12 an over.

Smeed chipped Currie to James Vince connected nan long-off bound six short of a deserved period to springiness Hampshire dream earlier Gregory ended it successful nan aforesaid complete pinch a 4 and a mates of leg-side sixes.

"The shot seems to alert present particularly nether nan lights and nan dew comes successful truthful we ever knew we had a chance," Smeed told BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra.

"It was immoderate due hitting from Lewis [Gregory] astatine nan extremity location arsenic well.

"The guys person been unbelievable successful nan full competition, different group person stood up successful different games.

"I deliberation that's astir apt our strength, we've sewage lucifer winners 1 to 11 and if it's someone's time they tin get america complete nan line."

It was fitting that 23-year-old Albert, who has enjoyed a breakthrough play for Hampshire, starred successful nan last albeit successful a losing cause.

The Basingstoke-born wicketkeeper has played successful each of Hampshire's 17 matches up to nan final, scoring 633 runs astatine an mean of conscionable nether 50.

Vince, who has featured successful each 1 of Hampshire's 11 Finals Day appearances, besides went past 500 runs for nan play and looked hugely disappointed erstwhile he was caught connected nan bound aft making 52.

Albert mixed axenic powerfulness successful smashing 2 immense leg-side sixes pinch immoderate unthinkable reverse flicks to nan statement disconnected nan gait bowlers.

He looked connected people to go nan 2nd Hampshire batter to people a period connected Finals Day pursuing Lynn's heroics successful nan semi-final triumph complete Northants but was bowled by Gregory while backing away.

However, his second-wicket guidelines of 97 pinch skipper Vince pursuing nan early dismissal of a fatigued Lynn group Hampshire up for a record-equalling people of 194 successful a last – matching nan 194-2 made by Northants against Surrey successful 2013.

It lasted a specified 90 minutes arsenic Somerset group a caller milestone successful reaching nan target pinch an complete to spare.