They have waited. Oh my, they have waited. They have suffered. Oh my, they have suffered, tears and sweat so often combining to form a losing gloop. 18 years; a trio of semi-final defeats; a quartet of agonising stumbles at the final hurdle; all now forgotten, after Tom Kohler-Cadmore clung on to dismiss Daniel Sams and give Matt Henry a fourth wicket.
The maroon corner of Edgbaston roared, Lewis Gregory danced deliriously, and Somerset were champions.
Sometimes the best team does actually win the tournament. And few can argue that Somerset were not the T20 Blast’s outstanding side. They had won a record-breaking dozen group matches and added victories of Nottinghamshire and Surrey – both snatched from readily losable positions – to put themselves within touching distance of the trophy.
It was typically Somerset. Seriously uncomfortable, a thrill-ride that made the yellow bungee swing – the one positioned behind the Raglan Stand that only the bravest spectators dared try – seem like tea with His Majesty.
Essex’s chase of 146 was brave. After securing their passage to the final with victory over Hampshire, they sat and watched Surrey wilt when faced with Somerset’s very gettable total.
And thus, they deemed a fast start was necessary. Adam Rossington gave it to them, a trio of consecutive boundaries taken from Henry. That, though, served only to poke the beast. The next ball was slashed hard at Kasey Aldridge who took a smart catch at point. Michael Pepper lost his stumps from Henry’s next ball – the first of his next over – before Dan Lawrence was soon trapped lbw.
Suddenly, the Somerset contingent, many of them swaying in a cider-induced state of merriment, found their voice.
A few additional swigs toasted Craig Overton’s dismissal of Robin Das. With the powerplay done Essex were 46 for 4. Having conceded 14 from five balls, Henry’s next 13 had cost just four. From there Paul Walter and Sams threw Essex punches; Gregory and Ish Sodhi countered with a pair each. Ultimately, Somerset delivered the knock-out bow.
They owed much though, to an unlikely batting hero. Much had been made of their hard-hitting top-order. But between Will Smeed, Tom Banton and Tom Kohler-Cadmore – who arrived at finals day with a combined 1,374 runs at a strike rate of 166 – they mustered just 48 in the final.
Instead, it was Sean Dickson, who did not start the competition in the starting line-up, who topped their day’s run-scoring. By the time Rossington acrobatically took the catch that dismissed him, Dickson had made a precious 53 from 35 balls.
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The runs had not flowed freely. Essex’s squeeze was suffocating. In the half dozen overs after the powerplay, Somerset found the boundary twice. Essex, by contrast, took three wickets. Shane Snater, whose quartet of overs cost just 13, was exceptional. Likewise, Walter, a cricketer transformed in the past 24 months – 3 for 29 for him. Captain Simon Harmer bowled a solitary over, Dickson’s dancing strokes helping encourage some sensible self-removal.
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It was, as it always is, a remarkable Edgbaston day. Unrelenting Friday rain had those due to be present desperately scrambling for weekend hotel beds. But the ground staff began their mopping up 3.30am on Saturday and, miraculously, just 10 overs were lost.
As dark descended, the decibel levels in the Hollies Stand rose, a Giraffe led conga simply classified as ‘normal’.
This is, despite the best efforts of English cricket’s powers that be and premier broadcasts, still the jewel in domestic cricket’s crown. Metaphorical headwear that was, by 10pm, West Country bound.
