Somerset edged out Essex by 14 runs to win the 2023 Vitality Blast, their first triumph in the competition for 18 years following their Finals Day win in 2005.
Somerset twice defended modest totals, of 142-7 against Surrey in the second semi-final and 145 all out in the final, with an inspired bowling effort from New Zealand pace bowler Matt Henry seeing them victorious.
Henry took 4-24 in the final, including the crucial last wicket of Daniel Sams (45 off 26 balls), albeit he owed a lot to Tom Kohler-Cadmore who took a spectacular diving catch at backward point to clinch victory.
Matt Henry finished with figures of 4-24 as Somerset defended 145 to beat Essex by 14 runs
Fellow Kiwi Ish Sodhi (3-22) also chipped in with three vital wickets and captain Lewis Gregory (2-25) took two. Essex, who exploded out of the blocks by smashing 27 from the first two overs, then suffered an almighty top-order collapse of five for 28.
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Somerset’s Kasey Aldridge pulls off an amazing catch to dismiss Essex’s Adam Rossington
Kasey Aldridge kick-started the collapse by taking a terrific reflex catch at point to dismiss Adam Rossington (19) after he’d just fired three-straight boundaries off Henry.
Sams recovered the innings and had a willing partner for a period in Paul Walter (26 off 24), before he became one of three late victims to the leg-spin of Sodhi.
Sams smashed three sixes to briefly raise hopes of an Essex comeback win before Kohler-Cadmore’s stunning grab ended proceedings and clinched a memorable second Blast win for Somerset, who had lost all four of the previous Blast since their 2005 success.
Earlier, Sean Dickson top-scored with 53 from 35 balls to anchor the Somerset innings. Shane Snater, meanwhile, returned exceptional figures of 4-13 from his four overs, while Walter pitched in with 3-29 for Essex.
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There was controversy in the Vitality Blast T20 Final between Somerset and Essex as Matt Critchley’s catch to dismiss Lewis Gregory was given not out after a review
In a somewhat controversial moment, a Matt Critchley grab off his own bowling was ruled ‘not out’ by the third umpire, with Critchley not deemed to have controlled the catch. Gregory was eventually dismissed for 11 by Snater.
Gregory: We did it the hard way
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Somerset captain Lewis Gregory says it was a ‘special feeling’ to lift the trophy after beating Essex to win the T20 Blast final at Edgbaston
Somerset captain Lewis Gregory:
“[It feels] pretty damn good, I’ve been to Finals Day many, many times, and this is a special feeling to get over the line tonight.
“Everyone sees Somerset as the nearly man, and it becomes harder each time you come back. I was just praying we had a couple of guys who were having one of those days where you just can’t stop them.
“We did it the hard way throughout the day, it’s just rewards.”
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Player of the match Matt Henry says every member of the Somerset team played their part in their T20 Blast success
Essex captain Simon Harmer:
“I think you can pick apart a million pieces of the game, at the end of the day we were outplayed. I think they bowled exceptionally. Unfortunately, sometimes there’s a loser and that’s us tonight.
“I can’t fault our boys and the way they played, I think if there’s one thing that you can’t take away from Essex it’s how we fight till the end. We just couldn’t finish it with the bat.”
How Somerset reached the final
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Watch the best of the action from Edgbaston as Somerset beat Surrey by 24 runs to reach the Vitality Blast Final
Craig Overton, Henry and Ben Green took three wickets apiece as Somerset’s disciplined bowlers defended 143 to beat Surrey by 24 runs in the day’s second semi-final.
Sean Abbott’s 4-23 had earlier restricted Somerset to 142-7 in rain-reduced to 19-overs-a-side clash, with Dickson top-scoring with an unbeaten 30 off 22 balls.
Wicketkeeper Jamie Smith produced a standout moment, taking a stunning one-handed catch to dismiss Somerset captain Gregory (9).
But the target proved too great for Surrey as they lost a steady stream of wickets to ultimately be bowled out for 118 in 16.5 overs, with Overton (3-24), Henry (3-19) and Green (3-15) sharing out the wickets.
Tom Curran top-scored for Surrey with 22, while Jason Roy (13), Smith (19), Jamie Overton (11) and Chris Jordan (16) all got in and got out – the only batters to score double figures.
Craig Overton can claim bragging rights over twin brother and former Somerset team-mate Jamie as he claimed the catch on the long-on boundary to dismiss him.
How Essex reached the final
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Watch the best of the action from the first semi-final at Vitality Blast Finals Day as Essex beat Hampshire Hawks by five wickets on DLS
Hampshire’s bid to become the first side to retain the Vitality Blast title was ended by belligerent cameos from Sams and Critchley that carried Essex into the final.
Joe Weatherley’s 63 not out off just 39 balls, plus Ben McDermott’s 29 off 12 and Benny Howell’s 22 off 11 at the top and back-end of the innings respectively lifted Hampshire to a score of 170-7 from their 20 overs.
Essex’s target was then reduced to 115 off 12 overs after an hour’s rain delay early into their chase but upon slipping to 54-4, Sams belted 29 off 17 before Critchley starred to see the side home.
With 13 needed off the final over, Critchley – the pick of Essex’s bowlers earlier with 2-22 – thumped the first delivery of Nathan Ellis’ over for six before Simon Harmer did likewise two balls later to wrap up a five-wicket win on DLS.
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