Northants Steelbacks clinched the 2016 NatWest T20 Blast title by overcoming a awful start to their run chase to beat Durham Jets by four wickets in a competitive final at Edgbaston.
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For the second time in the day, Northants lost the toss as Durham chose to bat first – no team has won a T20 final in this country after chasing since Kent in 2007.
Durham scored 153 for eight from their 20 overs and reduced Northants to nine for three before Cobb hit three sixes and 10 fours off 48 balls to put his side on the brink of victory. He faced 39 balls with three fours and two sixes.
It was all on Ball as Notts went into the last over needing 15.
In the semi-finals at Edgbaston earlier on Saturday, Northamptonshire beat Nottinghamshire by eight runs and England all-rounder Ben Stokes struck 56 off 36 deliveries to inspire Durham to a seven-run victory over Yorkshire.
Michael Richardson feathered Steven Crook’s third ball behind and in the next over Jack Burnham was run out without scoring to leave Durham rocking on 49 for four.
Jennings picked the ideal time to register his maiden T20 half-century, geting there in 40 balls in the 13th over and putting on a useful stand with Paul Collingwood (9) until the veteran fell to Ben Sanderson.
But that was to be it for the Durham man, as from the second ball of the fifth over he didn’t properly get hold of a Ben Sanderson delivery to deep mid-wicket, where Keogh swooped to race in take an excellent catch diving forward.
“To come back in pre-season and then suffer another setback was hard and I wondered whether I would ever be the same again”.
Jennings was threatening to help the Jets to a tougher target, but finally departed when he launched Rory Kleinveldt to Cobb at deep square leg before the South African forced Scott Borthwick (10) to edge to Rossington in the penultimate over.
Left-hander Jennings’s innings, who posted the highest individual score in an English Twenty20 final, was all the more impressive as his previous best in the format was 42.
No 3 Josh Cobb was next as he took a swipe at a Harry Gurney ball that was heading for a wide and tickled it down the leg side and into the gloves of veteran Notts keeper Read.
Things went from bad to worse in the third over as Ben Duckett, the batting hero of the semi-final, was pinned lbw by Rushworth to be dismissed for four and the County were in big trouble at nine for three.
Duckett made 84 off 47 balls as he dominated the partnership with Wakely, who chipped in a more pedestrian 53 off 45.
Russell checked their progress, despite picking up an injury, but got through his four overs nearly on one leg, conceding just 20 runs as he bagged three wickets thanks to the dismissals of Rory Kleinveldt and Steven Crook as England man Jake Ball accounted for Duckett and Rob Keogh.
Wakely smashed Arshad’s first delivery for six and was then handed a reprieve when he was on 43 a Paul Coughlin’s catch off him in the deep was judged to have touched the ground on review – but Wakely was then needlessly run out the very next ball!
But man-of-the-match Cobb’s dashing 80 in a total of 6-155 helped Northamptonshire win with five balls to spare.
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The former England global smashed Sanderson down to Crook at deep square leg before the flying Cobb took a blinder at extra cover to dismiss Ryan Pringle (2) off the same bowler.
