FL t20 final: Hampshire beat Yorkshire to win title

Hampshire won the domestic Twenty20 title for the second time in three seasons as they beat Yorkshire by 10 runs in a thrilling final in Cardiff.

Yorkshire, needing 14 off the final over, lost three wickets and finished on 140-8 in reply to Hampshire's 150-6.

The 2010 winners were on top after making a commanding total, with Jimmy Adams making 43 and James Vince 36.

David Miller hit five sixes in an unbeaten 72 off 46 balls but Yorkshire, in their first FLt20 final, fell short.

Hampshire captain Dimitri Mascarenhas won the toss for the second time on finals day and decided to bat first, despite putting Somerset in earlier in the day.

Ryan Sidebottom claimed the first wicket of the final with a delivery that was too quick for Michael Carberry and clipped the top of the batsman's off-stump.

After a slow start, Adams hit the first six of the final in the 11th over before falling next ball, when he picked out Gary Ballance on the boundary - the fourth catch he had taken during finals day.

Neil McKenzie followed soon after for four then Vince, who scored 36 off 33 balls, was the next to go. After scoring 10 from the first three balls of the 16th over he was bowled by Moin Ashraf.

Sidebottom (2-20) struck again in the 19th over when Sean Ervine found Joe Root at long-on.

Yorkshire captain Andrew Gale opted for Ashraf to bowl the last over, even though England's Tim Bresnan had only completed three, and Hampshire added 14 runs off the last six balls, although Simon Katich was run out off the final delivery.

Mascarenhas had taken 2-11 in Hampshire's semi-final win over Somerset and was again involved as he bowled Gale and Root in the fourth and sixth overs respectively.

The Tykes nearly lost two wickets in the space of four balls when Phil Jaques skied a full delivery from Mascarenhas and Vince, sprinting in from long-on, dived forward but could not reach it.

But Hampshire were soon celebrating again as Liam Dawson's delivery to Jaques kept low and left the Australian heading back to the pavilion with his side wobbling on 38-3.

Jonny Bairstow and Miller had shared a partnership of 82 in Yorkshire's semi-final win against Sussex but they could not replicate that as Bairstow was caught behind by Michael Bates off the bowling of Danny Briggs.

However, South African Miller kept Yorkshire's hopes alive as he smashed three sixes off four balls in one Ervine over on his way to a 35-ball half-century.

Yorkshire needed 36 runs off 18 balls and then 14 off six deliveries, before Bresnan was out for 18 in the first ball of the 20th over, bowled by Chris Wood.

Rich Pyrah and Azeem Rafiq were then dismissed in the last two balls as Wood ended with figures of 3-26.

VIEWS FROM THE DRESSING ROOM

Hampshire captain Dimitri Mascarenhas:

"In Twenty20 it's never over until it's over, especially when you get a guy banging it for six and it's hard to stop that.

"You're always concerned in those circumstances but we had to do what we had to do.

"I missed the win two years ago due to injury and last year we lost in the semi-finals but to be here and win two games was a great feeling and one I'll always remember."

Yorkshire captain Andrew Gale:

"At 40-4 I thought someone had to play very well to get us in a good position to win that game.

"David played out of his skin and going into the last over I was backing us to win.

"The support from the Yorkshire fans was immense and we wanted it for the people that travelled here but unfortunately we could not get the silverware.

"But to take it to the last over was a fantastic effort.

"It would have been nice to spray that champagne around but what we have achieved as a club can make us all proud."