SOMERSET’S hopes of becoming the first team to retain the Vitality Blast trophy came to a disappointing end when they were beaten by 17 runs in the semi finals of the competition by the eventual winners Northants Steelbacks at Edgbaston.

In the semi finals at Yorkshire they looked to heading for a defeat when a once in a lifetime Craig Overton innings saw them to an unlikely victory.

However, it was not to be at Edgbaston, despite Somerset-best T20 figures from Jake Ball and a typically destructive innings from Will Smeed.

After being put into bat the Steelbacks slipped to 26 for 3 in the fifth over before Chris Lynn and Saif Zaib began to rebuild the innings, and the Northants 50 came after seven overs with the 50 partnership for the fourth wicket arriving from 37 deliveries.

The partnership was worth 65 when a good off-cutter from Ball accounted for Lynn (39 from 26) at 91 for four in the 12th over. The Somerset bowlers then kept wickets tumbling before the Steelbacks were all out for 143 with 4 balls remaining

Ball ended with the impressive figures of 4 for 17 from 4 overs, one of which was a maiden.

Chasing what looked to be a very achievable target, at least by Somerset’s standards, the Cidermen lost early wickets and found themselves 12 for 3 after 2.5 overs.

Smeed and Tom Kohler Cadmore then added 62 together, the former was eventually out for 49. Kohler-Cadmore saw up the three figures but was out for 29 soon after.

With the score on 111 in the 18th over Overton was brilliantly caught at long on when Willey parried the ball for Zaib to complete the catch and it came down to 25 from the last 12 balls, which proved out of reach as they ended on 126 for 9.