Gloucestershire break Blast hoodoo in style with eight-wicket rout of Somerset
Payne, Matt Taylor share six wickets before Bancroft, Hammond romp in simple chase
Payne, Matt Taylor share six wickets before Bancroft, Hammond romp in simple chase
Commentator: Vithushan Ehantharajah
9:55pm That's all from us here. You can read Alan's report from Edgbaston on a one-sided Cider Decider. But that's the 2024 Vitality Blast done and dusted... and with that, good night!
9:52pm Player of the Final is Matt Taylor with 3 for 18 from his four overs: "Pretty speechless to be honest. I'm over the moon for this group of guys. It has been an amazing day, unbelievable. This is my first finals day. I've imagined it in my head, but the way it has panned out today has been unbelievable."
Together with David Payne, Gloucestershire's pair of left-armers combined for 62 wickets this season, and took 10 for 79 between them on Finals Day. Payne credits his decision to play white ball cricket exclusively as to why he has been able to perform at such a high level, with 33 dismissals - the joint highest in the tournament's history.
"Coming into the group stages, I was really nervous about that but after the first game, we started so well and the confidence grew. It was probably the best decision I've ever made.
"One of the proudest moments of this campaign has been watching Matty Taylor and Josh Shaw, and how they've grown throughout this competition. That whole bowling attack, I could name them all, it has been a pleasure to play with them. I feel nothing but pride at the moment."
Defeated skipper Lewis Gregory on what went wrong for Somerset: "Well, we didn't get enough runs...
9:30pm Gloucestershire head coach Mark Alleyne, with success in his first summer at the helm, has also been on the mic:
"The first game came and went. The bowling and fielding was especially good the first game. We backed it up in the second game and the boys smashed it out of the park.
[On victory in his first season in charge] What the guys needed was just a little bit of belief in what they did, and a bit of trust. We tried to give them the confidence when they go out and play, but they did all the running, to be fair.
[On the bowlers, including David Payne, who took 32 dismissals] Payne has been consistent at the top. Our powerplays have been awesome, which has led to a lot of the success.
[On what this means for Gloucestershire] "For Gloucestershire, it's massive. Winning trophies in this country is not easy, there are some bloody good teams out there. To get to the final two and win on the night, it's massive for the club."
9:27pm Miles Hammond, there at the end with 58* off 41, has been speaking to Sky:
"It's been a weird run, but we've been awesome today. To finish it the way we did was awesome, and I'm so so grateful to have been able to do that.
"It's a mixture of everything. We're a tight group, we play brilliantly. We've got amazing skill, and youngsters coming through pushing us all the time."
Uplifting story proves once again that Finals Day has a special place in the calendar
Payne, Matt Taylor share six wickets before Bancroft, Hammond romp in simple chase
North Group | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Team | M | W | L | PT | NRR |
WARKS | 14 | 10 | 4 | 20 | 1.308 |
NHNTS | 14 | 8 | 4 | 18 | -0.151 |
LANCS | 14 | 7 | 4 | 17 | 1.109 |
DURH | 14 | 7 | 6 | 15 | -0.325 |
LEICS | 14 | 6 | 6 | 14 | -0.119 |
DERBS | 14 | 6 | 7 | 13 | 0.112 |
YORKS | 14 | 6 | 7 | 13 | -0.035 |
WORCS | 14 | 4 | 10 | 8 | -0.192 |
NOTTS | 14 | 3 | 9 | 8 | -1.699 |
South Group | |||||
Team | M | W | L | PT | NRR |
SUR | 14 | 9 | 3 | 20 | 0.777 |
SUSS | 14 | 9 | 5 | 18 | 0.607 |
SOM | 14 | 8 | 5 | 17 | 0.497 |
GLOUC | 14 | 7 | 6 | 15 | 0.503 |
ESSEX | 14 | 7 | 6 | 15 | 0.201 |
GLAM | 14 | 6 | 7 | 13 | -0.592 |
HANTS | 14 | 4 | 7 | 11 | -0.556 |
MIDDX | 14 | 3 | 8 | 9 | -1.487 |
KENT | 14 | 4 | 10 | 8 | -0.486 |