Gloucestershire win first T20 title in club’s history after beating Somerset by eight wickets in Vitality Blast final at Edgbaston

Two left-handers delivered the knockout blows and Gloucestershire became Twenty20 champions for the first time thanks to the best bowling performance in final day history.

Matt Taylor and David Payne, the two left-handers in question, shared 10 wickets to become only the second winners to beat opponents in both the semi-final and the final, after a crushing victory over Sussex (106) in the afternoon match, where they defeated reigning champions Somerset (124).

Taylor, brother of captain Jack Taylor, topped the order with a combined score of six for 43, while Payne, the competition’s leading wicket-taker, made four for 36.

The eight-wicket victory at Edgbaston was a repeat of the club’s glory years at the turn of the century, when they won six white-ball trophies under captain Mark Alleyne.

Now, seven months into his second spell as Gloucestershire head coach, Alleyne has led the side to more silverware, meaning that in the 22 years of the competition, only four counties – Derbyshire, Durham, Glamorgan and Yorkshire – have gone without a trophy.

They reached their peak late in the season, reaching the Vitality Blast final where they produced one of the best bowling performances a finals day has ever seen.

Only four teams have failed to win the Vitality Blast title in the competition’s 22-year history

Gloucestershire undoubtedly peaked at the right time: having entered the latter stages on net run rate, they were virtually flawless in knockout cricket. They defeated Birmingham Bears in the quarter-final at the same stadium and returned to the second city eight days later with a masterly performance on the field.

Their ability to take wickets on the dry surface of Edgbaston proved crucial as only Somerset captain Lewis Gregory contained them, hitting a score of 37 from 53 balls after his opponent Taylor had won the toss.

They had almost decided their first match of the day with two balls from the powerplay when Sussex were reduced to 44 for five and the march continued against Somerset, the only other winners who took 20 wickets in both the semi-final and final of this tournament last year.

Gloucestershire’s opening pair of Australians Cameron Bancroft and Miles Hammond made half-centuries ahead as their south-west rivals’ excellent week took a nosedive. Ollie Price settled matters at 9.20pm when he slotted home Jake Ball’s final ball in the 15th over for a straight six.

Somerset reached the final after two stunning wins over Surrey within a few hours, following a dramatic result at Taunton in midweek that breathed new life into the County Championship title race.

This time they came back from seven for three to chase 154: a counter-attack of 144 between Sean Dickson and James Rew turned the tide.