Gloucestershire beat Sussex to set up Somerset final

Matt Taylor took 3-25 for Gloucestershire

Vitality Blast Finals Day, Edgbaston - Second semi-final

Sussex 106 all out (18.1 overs): Carson 26; M Taylor 3-25, Smith 3-25

Gloucestershire 109-2 (13.4 overs): Bracey 49*; Currie 1-12

Gloucestershire win by eight wickets

Scorecard

Gloucestershire thrashed Sussex by eight wickets to reach just their second T20 final, in which they will face big rivals Somerset.

Matt Taylor and Tom Smith took three wickets each as the Sharks were bowled out for 106.

Gloucestershire comfortably chased them down with eight wickets to spare, with James Bracey scoring 49 not out and hitting six boundaries as he ended the match with a big six down the ground.

Their meeting with Somerset in the final at 18:45 BST is the first time the West Country neighbours have played each other in a showpiece event for 25 years.

James Bracey hit an unbeaten 49 for Gloucestershire as they chased down Sussex Sharks' total of 106

The Cider Boys had earlier staged an astonishing fightback to beat Surrey by six wickets after a disastrous start to their innings left them 7-3 in the first semi-final.

In the second game, having won the toss against a Gloucestershire side they had twice beaten in the group games, Sussex elected to bat.

But they had lost both their openers inside 20 balls, as the Blast’s top run-scorer Daniel Hughes dismissed for just a single by David Payne.

Taylor then bowled James Coles and Tom Alsop with consecutive balls to leave the Sharks 27-4.

Ollie Robinson and Jack Carson's 37-run stand at least helped the south coast club over the 100-run mark.

However, their total of 106 was the lowest score in a full 20-over innings on a Finals Day since the domestic T20 competition began in 2003.

Gloucestershire lost opener Miles Hammond for seven runs early in the chase.

But Cameron Bancroft made 39 and Bracey ended the game with a six off Jack Carson to end the contest with more than six overs to spare.

Gloucestershire captain Jack Taylor told BBC Radio Bristol:

"We wanted to have a bat, having had success here in the quarter-final when we batted first but, when you bowl and field as we did to keep them to 106, you always feel you should win. It’s another thing going out and doing it.

"What an occasion to be playing Somerset. We’ve had some success against them this season but that won’t count for much. It’s all about who plays better this evening and hopefully that can be us.

“It helps to have had recent experience playing in these surroundings in the quarter-final because we don’t play here that often.

"We’ve got some momentum, which is something we speak about a lot in sport, about peaking at the right time. We’ve won four in a row now - why can’t we make it a fifth?"

Sussex skipper Tymal Mills said BBC Radio Sussex:

“After how well we’ve played in the group stages, that was one of our poorest performances of the season and to do that on Finals Day is very disappointing.

“But we’ve made huge improvements on where we have been in the last few years so credit to all the backroom staff and all the players for the hard work put in over the last 12 months.

"My message in the dressing room is to build on this and come back stronger next year.

“Paul Farbrace has given me a lot of freedom as captain to make the team how I want to make it. I’ve tried to lead by example. My main goal was to get the boys to take T20 more seriously and we certainly do that now. Hopefully we’ll be back here again.”