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Twenty20 Cup Final
Edgbaston
Sussex 172-7 (D R Smith 59) v Somerset 109
Sussex beat Somerset by 63 runs
Sussex claimed the Twenty20 Cup for the first time in their history with an impressive 63-run win over Somerset at Edgbaston.
The Sharks posted a competitive total of 172-7 after being put into bat in the final thanks to a brutal knock of 59 from Dwayne Smith.
Marcus Trescothick did his best to keep the Sabres' hopes alive with a breezy 33 but the early momentum he provided soon disappeared.
In the end Somerset fell away rapidly in the closing overs, losing five wickets for just one run in the space of 12 balls to be bowled out for 109.
Champions League
Victory for Sussex helped erase the memory of missing out recently on the Friends Provident Trophy at Lord's, while their victory over Northamptonshire earlier in the day also clinched them a place in the Champions League.
Smith, who hit three sixes and seven fours to entertain a bumper crowd, may not be available to play in the lucrative competition having featured for Indian Premier League outfit Deccan Chargers, who will also take part.
The Sharks had suffered the early loss of Murray Goodwin, the hero of their semi-final success over the Steelbacks, to the 11th ball of the match.
Luke Wright and Rory Hamilton-Brown kept the runs flowing in the power-play overs until their partnership was ended by a run out; confusion over a possible single seeing the former run out for 20 by wicketkeeper Craig Kieswetter's direct hit.
Hamilton-Brown departed for 25 with the score on 67, while Ed Joyce fell 13 runs later when he was bowled around his legs trying to sweep a slower ball from Peter Trego.
However, Smith kept the Sharks afloat with a display of clean hitting.
His one-man onslaught eventually came to an end when he got a little carried away and was stumped trying to reverse sweep leg spinner Max Waller the delivery after he had been dropped by a diving Alfonso Thomas at long-on.
Despite skipper Michael Yardy being bowled for four, Sussex continued to pile on the runs thanks to a seventh-wicket stand of 46.
Chris Nash made an improvised 28 from 22 balls while Yasir Arafat finished up unbeaten on 20, though the duo could only add five runs in the final over.
Biggest chase
Looking to pull off the biggest ever run chase in the final of the domestic tournament, in-form Trescothick gave Somerset the perfect start.
The left-hander smacked three sixes and the same number of fours only to perish in his attempts to find the boundary again, a sliced drive off seamer James Kirtley going straight out to Hamilton-Brown at deep cover.
Arafat cleaned up Sabres skipper Justin Langer for 15 soon after and from then on the innings subsided in a hurry.
Zander de Bruyn laboured for 22 while the only other batsman to make it into double figures was Trego, the all-rounder belting two sixes and two fours to race to 27.
When he hit Hamilton-Brown straight down Smith's throat though the game was up for Somerset, who had knocked out Kent in the semi-finals. Kirtley returned to the attack to pick up a further two scalps, giving him impressive figures of 3-9.
Edgbaston
Sussex 172-7 (D R Smith 59) v Somerset 109
Sussex beat Somerset by 63 runs
Sussex claimed the Twenty20 Cup for the first time in their history with an impressive 63-run win over Somerset at Edgbaston.
The Sharks posted a competitive total of 172-7 after being put into bat in the final thanks to a brutal knock of 59 from Dwayne Smith.
Marcus Trescothick did his best to keep the Sabres' hopes alive with a breezy 33 but the early momentum he provided soon disappeared.
In the end Somerset fell away rapidly in the closing overs, losing five wickets for just one run in the space of 12 balls to be bowled out for 109.
Champions League
Victory for Sussex helped erase the memory of missing out recently on the Friends Provident Trophy at Lord's, while their victory over Northamptonshire earlier in the day also clinched them a place in the Champions League.
Smith, who hit three sixes and seven fours to entertain a bumper crowd, may not be available to play in the lucrative competition having featured for Indian Premier League outfit Deccan Chargers, who will also take part.
The Sharks had suffered the early loss of Murray Goodwin, the hero of their semi-final success over the Steelbacks, to the 11th ball of the match.
Luke Wright and Rory Hamilton-Brown kept the runs flowing in the power-play overs until their partnership was ended by a run out; confusion over a possible single seeing the former run out for 20 by wicketkeeper Craig Kieswetter's direct hit.
Hamilton-Brown departed for 25 with the score on 67, while Ed Joyce fell 13 runs later when he was bowled around his legs trying to sweep a slower ball from Peter Trego.
However, Smith kept the Sharks afloat with a display of clean hitting.
His one-man onslaught eventually came to an end when he got a little carried away and was stumped trying to reverse sweep leg spinner Max Waller the delivery after he had been dropped by a diving Alfonso Thomas at long-on.
Despite skipper Michael Yardy being bowled for four, Sussex continued to pile on the runs thanks to a seventh-wicket stand of 46.
Chris Nash made an improvised 28 from 22 balls while Yasir Arafat finished up unbeaten on 20, though the duo could only add five runs in the final over.
Biggest chase
Looking to pull off the biggest ever run chase in the final of the domestic tournament, in-form Trescothick gave Somerset the perfect start.
The left-hander smacked three sixes and the same number of fours only to perish in his attempts to find the boundary again, a sliced drive off seamer James Kirtley going straight out to Hamilton-Brown at deep cover.
Arafat cleaned up Sabres skipper Justin Langer for 15 soon after and from then on the innings subsided in a hurry.
Zander de Bruyn laboured for 22 while the only other batsman to make it into double figures was Trego, the all-rounder belting two sixes and two fours to race to 27.
When he hit Hamilton-Brown straight down Smith's throat though the game was up for Somerset, who had knocked out Kent in the semi-finals. Kirtley returned to the attack to pick up a further two scalps, giving him impressive figures of 3-9.