Somerset through to T20 final

Somerset avenged their defeat to Hampshire in last year's Friends Life t20 showpiece, Alfonso Thomas bowling flawlessly in the second one-over elimination of a dramatic finals day.

Having watched Leicestershire win the first semi-final in a single-over shoot-out against Lancashire, Somerset and Hampshire produced a second tie of the day to thrill a crowd who had been disappointed by a series of rain showers.

With Somerset pair Craig Kieswetter and Jos Buttler making 16 in their six balls, Thomas yielded just five runs and dismissed Shahid Afridi in the process.

The tie was secured by an equally brilliant over from Hampshire skipper Dominic Cork, who conceded just four runs with only five to play with.

Kieswetter and Buttler, chosen to face the over ahead of Marcus Trescothick, put their side in a strong position with their 16-run haul off Afridi.

Kieswetter hit two boundaries, a measured slice through point and a paddle over short fine-leg, to make 11 of them.

New England call-up Buttler, who excelled with 32 in 16 balls in the match proper, took five from his two balls - a driven four and a dashed single.

Trescothick gambled on Thomas for Somerset's over - the only one of four captains not to select a spinner in the shoot-out.

Thomas repaid his skipper in style, bowling three dots plus the wicket of Afridi and leaking only a single boundary.

The initial match finished level on the Duckworth-Lewis calculation, Somerset making 94 for six in 10 overs against Hampshire's 138 for four in 15.5.