The Final v Hampshire
By Grockle
September 13 2025
And so it is Hampshire - a final we've played before. The side stays the same as the semi and we go again. We will bowl first and chase by choice as we won the toss.
The Blast Final - v Hampshire @ Edgbaston Saturday 13 September 2025
The game starts without the rain having a say at the start. Somerset have won the toss and will bowl first against a strong Hampshire side coming off a solid performance against Northants.#
The side remains the same;
Smeed, TKC, Abell, Rew, Dickson, Gregory, Green Goldsworthy, Overton, Pretorius, Ball
Vince and Lynn start against Overton and Gregory. Craig opens his account by getting lynn early with only 24 on the board for 12. So the Northants Desttroyer will not do the same to us. He miscues a shot to cover and the catch is caught by Goldsworthy at cover so we start well.
Unfortunately the next man in is Vince and he and Albert have been here before. The Hampshire 50 comes off a huge six from Albert and they have put on 83 by the end of the 'Powerplay' 6 overs. Goldsworthy and Green are in for the usual 'press' and although they pass 100 it is not until the 9th over and they have only reached 105 for 1 at the halfway stage as Green goes for 5 off his first and Goldsworthy goes for 13 from 2. However they do have wickets in hand and that is difficult with this side.
During the 11th, both bats are looking for their 50's with Vince in the front by just 2 runs on 49. But Ben keeps it down to 5. The only real big over has been a large on (25) from Pretorius who has not returned yet.
Albert passes 50 tyo 52 off 29 at 117. He is followed by Vince at 121 but then Sean Dickson catches Vince from Goldsworthy and they are 121 for 2 as the bowlers frustrate them. His 52 came from 34 and was the result of pressure.
Jake Ball returns for the 13th as Fuller comes in. He only went for 9 off his first. Working out how to use his bowlers in this game will be a real problem for Gregory as Overton has gone for 35 from his 3, Miggy had a nightmare first and the skipper has seen 10 an over from his 2. If the pressure comes off these bats will cause mayhem. But ball causes a bit of magic with an off cutter that pops the ball back and Jake takes a smart low one handed catch across the puiutch. Fuller goes for 1 caught and bowled. 126 for 3 and the 'press' has been on since the 'Powerplay'. Hampshire send in Benny Howell as Lewis Jr continues and will bowl out for an excellent 1 for 28. Well played sir.
The other Lewis returns for the 15th at 132 for 3. In the 8 overs since the 6th they have held Hampshire to 49 runs after 83 from those first few so it has been a good effort to get back into this game. The skipper moves us into the last 5 overs with the score on 136 for 3 - Gregory adds only 4.
5 overs left and Greener is into his last white ball bowling for Somerset. He has two left and has only gone for 13. Albert manages to sort of ramp one to the boundary - not elegant but four runs!! He is the sand in our Vaseline at the moment with 69 from 41 and he doubles the pain with another boundary with the next ball followed by a single to move to 149 for 3 by the end of the 16th.
Ball takes the 17th and the 150 comes up from the first with an Albert fine pull past the keeper. He gets another one with another kind of ramp shot, a sort of reverse pull to the boundary. He is on to 84 from 46. Hoqwqell then gets into the game with a massive six and they have 166 for 3 with 3 to go. They are looking for 200 and have the wickets in hand to get there. 18 balls and 34 needed for the 200.
Gregory takes the next and bowls Albert with his first ball - lovely slow ball to the top of off. Albert was past the shot before it arrived and goes for 85 from 48 balls. Great innings. 166 for 4 and out comes Ben Mayes.
The 18th ends with 172 for 4. 28 from 12 for 200 as Ben Green will bowl out with the 19th having gone for 22 so far. Howell sixes his second straight back over Green's head. The highest score in a T20 Final is 194 in Northants v Surrey in a rain affected 18 overs game. A Mayes switch hit moves the score 185 for 4 and Ben's last Somerset ball is an excellent 'on the toes' yorker. He finishes with 0 for 36. Thank you Ben it has been an honour no matter what happens here.
Jake takes the last. His first is a wide and they run a single. Howell is on strike. He takes a single. The second is also a single. The third is a dot. Nice slow ball. The fourth is a single. James Rew thinks it might be LBW and they review as he misses the reverse sweep. There's no bat. However, it is hitting so James was right. Well done dude.
191 for 5 as Mayes goes for 9 from 7 and there are 2 balls left with Allie Orr coming. The low full toss gives them 2 runs and the last ball gives them a single as Orr is run out coming back for 2. They have made 194 for 6. We are going to need 195 - the highest score EVER scored in a T20 Final.
Think they have too many I'm afraid. Albert's quick 10 four and 2 six 84 may be the difference between the two sides as they went off like a train and effectively batteed Miggy P out of the game. Jake Ball continues to impress with the slower stuff he bowls at the death. Again, Green, Goldsworthy, Ball and Gregory pulled a game back into some place we can at least have a go from.
Would like to see Will Smeed get a few here and Tom Abell was looking really good in the short innigs he had in the semi so have to hope they come to the party.
The Reply
Chris Wood will open for the Hawks against Will and he takes 6 from the first with 1 boundary. Sonny Baker takes the second to TKC and his first is a nervous four wides. Smeed drives him for a four but the young man gets one past him next ball. He goes for 12 and Somerset move to 18 for 0 from 2.
Wood continues and his second ball goes over the Hollies Stand from TKC - an immense hit. After 3 the score is 31 for 0 with both men pushing each other. Smeed has 16 and TKC has 10. Currie takes the 4th instead of Sonny and his first is ramped for six by 'Pepsi'
When Sonny returns for the 5th he gets a slow ball past TKC and he is bowled middle stump slipping under the bat. 46 for 1 as Tom KC leaves for 23 off 14. In comes Tom Abell as Will Smeed greets the startof the 6th from Fuller with a four to bring up 50. He beats Allie Orr to the boundary with the second one as well.
Tom flips off his toes one but it is high and not far enough. It doesn't beat the only fielder out at deep square leg and Mayes takes the catch. Tom A goes for a 2 ball 0. Rew is in with us needing an innings from him. The 'Powerplay' ends at 55 for 2. Howell takes the 7th and Fuller takes the 8th
It's 118 from 72 balls as Fortuin comes on with left arm spin. Currie is in for the 10th and he bowls Rew as he smacks one and plays on for 20 from 13 at 89 for 3. It may be going people I'm afraid. Someone needs to support and enhance Smeed for us to stay with this one. In comes Sean Dickson for his last white ball innings for Somerset.
The halfway point arrives at 90 for 3 needing 105 from 60 balls. Smeed has 41 from 29 and we need something from Dickson.
Howell nearly has Dickson but it was Umpires call and on review it was not out. The 100 from 53 balls is a big call and we aren't finding the boundary often enough. 100 is up for 3 but there are only 8 overs left to get 95. Can't wait 15 balls for a boundary when chasing nearly 200 I'm afraid. Fortuin is back in and Smeed goes to 50 from 36 and then adds four more to push it 110 for 3.
7 to go needing 85 from 42 as Benny Howell keep them quiet. They have to 'jump' on him and push this on or it will get too much with too few balls. Dickson should be on his way but Scott Currie puts him down - a basic catch I'm afraid. They need more than 2 a ball at 119 for 3 so it is getting away from us but that is a lifeline.
Fortiun is back on and Will finds the fine leg boundary as we move into the 15th over. We have moved to 134 for 3 and need 59 runs from 30 balls with 5 to come. Will has put us in the same position as Hampshire at the same point in the game. Smeed has 78 from 48 while Sean has 9 from 13.
In comes Sonny Baker and Dickson sends him to the boundary. A straight four takes the ask under 50. with 4 overs to go they need 48 - it's a lot. Sean is not at this party at the moment, he's struggled today. but Smeed brings it down to 38 needed with a six off Currie.
With 3 to go they still need 37. Smeed moves into the 90s as it goes to 32 from 16. Then Sean gets in on it as he reverses Howell for 6. 25 from 15 and this is so close. The last ball of the 18th goes into the stands. Dickson puts him into the stands to end the 18th. they need 18 from 12. Unfortunately Smeed holes out at 94 off Currie and stands disconsolate but we would not be here if it wasn't for him. 94 from 58 and 177 for 4 as Lewis Gregory comes in and squirts a four off his first. They need 14 off 10. He then takes 2. He then hits Currie for a six straight back over the bowler as he takes 12 off 3. They need 6 from 8. Then its 6 from 7. Then it's six from the captain. AND WE HAVE WON IT AGAIN!!! 6 wicket win with the highest score ever in a Final!!
What a great chase. Thought they were dead but that last bit was phenomenal. Good that Sean was there because this has been his tournament and he deserves it. Great innings with Will keeping it there and then the skipper coming in and finishing it - brilliant. We've done it 16 years early people!! Very very impressed by that
The Blast MVP player of the Year is David Willey
The Blast Player of the Final is WILL SMEED
A great moment in the career of a developing player. This was a great night for him. But as a teasm they just kept at the task and put the games away. Keep bowling tight and keep putting loose balls away. If you do it consistently then the opposing totals stay small and the big ones you are chasing get smaller. Personally thought they'd got too many but you really can't say this lot are ever out of a game.
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Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2025:09:22:13:42:43 by Grockle.
It all gets going in about an hour.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2025:09:13:18:18:55 by Grockle.
Seems that there's only two sides who have lost anyone of quality to the England setup and it will all be better next year when these superstars play in this tournament.
A large amount of bovine excrement is being ladeled out in the pod I'm afraid.
You'd think the Blast can only survive if Jos Buttler and Phil Salt play in it.
Been drinking far too much franchise Kool-Aid I'm afraid.
Phil and Jos who?
Farmer
Also kudus for Warks for FINALLY creating a decent wicket. Only taken 10+ years
What a superb performance today by Somerset.
They did well to get past Lancs., but to chase 194 at Edgbaston in the Final was quite the achievement, particularly noting the previous highest chase down was 175.
I've been critical plenty of times in the past of us not having the winning instinct, but we had it in spades today & long may it continue.
Sadly, that is the last we'll see of Sean Dickson. We'll certainly miss him, albeit I wouldn't rule out a surprise return a year or two down the line though. Stranger things have happened.
Congratulations SCCC - terrific & well deserved Vitality Blast T20 winners !
Grizzers
*******
But dipping in to the final on cricinfo I thought that Somerset were well up against it - Hants 90-odd from 7 overs didn't seem a great start. But Somerset really do back themselves, don't they!?
Obviously great performances from Tom Kohler-Cadmore and Will Smeed today, but pretty much everybody chipped in across the course of the two games: Goldsworthy, Dickson, Pretorius, Ball, Green and Gregory, whose captaincy (at least from a distance) looked like it was very impressive; like his batting at the end!
Brilliant, just brilliant.
Three T20 titles now (putting up there with Leicestershire and Hampshire) as well as being runners-up five times. And in the last five years, Somerset have won it twice and been second twice, and made the semi-final in the other year. Not bad...
And I haven't seen it, but what's the thinking on the LBW/or not LBW in the semi-final?
Agree about Jake Ball, invaluable experience. Is it too late to offer him another season?
I do hope that sometime Somerset grasp the nettle similarly in the County Championship. Even allowing for the innate pessimism of sports fans, the Yorkshire fans the other day really feared losing by an innings and , whilst the odds were against with the weather , I really believe that the mindset that Somerset show in 2020 could’ve produced real panic in the Yorkshire side such as we saw from Surrey at Taunton last season. In Lancashire championship winning season, there were half a dozen occasions when that had to be done. Maybe like the Lancashire team in the 1990s, they prefer winning one day trophies as Michael Atherton admitted about Lancashire.
But, finish on a positive and so pleased for all of you and the players, for whom I have great admiration and affection for many.
Loyal of Lhasa, Rag, Tag and Bobstan, Blokesi, Tractor Driver and his daughter Minnie, Grockers, Baggers, Sheppers, Fromers, Farmer, Grizzzzzzzzzzzzzzers, Wickers, Sloopers, Wimbers, Dasher, Dredger, Victor, Budger, Julier, Monsieur De Splatt, Mike the Lens, AGod, ADog, Tonynolongerinthepitofdespair, TBWTD, Scrumpers, Gibbers, Harold Gimblett Hill, Harold Stephenson, Harold Suppiah, Bill Alley, Treeeeeeeeego, the Bishop of Bat and Balls, Bishop Odo, somersetsabre, Somerset Maugham, Donna Summerset, Judge Jeffreys Archer … your team gave out a helluva beating.
Grizzers !
I look at scores but don’t usually read anything about limited over cricket in The Cricket Paper which means I get through it very quickly in many months and particularly August. However, I have read the stuff today and one interesting article was Durham‘s coach Ryan Campbell saying that he thinks it is a different brand of 2020 played in the south. The paper says that as well as the last four winners being southern counties, that the south has had the whiphand for the last 10 years now.
One thing is certain, one South Westerly County is damned good at it!
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2025:09:15:22:58:14 by Des Platt.
But what struck me is how well Somerset stuck to the task, and winning when they needed 94 from 46 balls is impressive. A shame that Speed didn't have a few more metres on his shot, or couldn't hit it a bit straighter. But that shot from Kohler-Cadmore...?!
Just how far was that? Over the roof and far away.
Assuming the strip was somewhere near the middle, I make it around 120m to the back of the roof of the Hollies stand. That's a monster!
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2025:09:14:16:59:18 by sfwithers.
[www.bbc.co.uk]
So it's not just me/us!
LoL
Seventy-eight Seasons a Somerset Supporter
"Delayed start due to adverse weather conditions."
The whole lot of them were there. Including those that didn't play, hadn't played the group stages, but had just travelled to Edgbaston to sit in the stands and support. Archie Vaughan, some if the other youngsters I didn't quite recognise. Andy Umeed. Coaches, the DoC, physios, the lot. All in a line, arms round shoulders, singing their hearts out.
Brought it home that whatever we sometimes read into a situation from the outside Somerset is very much the collective. All for one and one for all. They play together, win together, lose together and celebrate together.
Blackbird.🐦⬛