Somerset got off to a bright start after winning the toss and electing to bowl, reducing Northants to 26-3 in five overs with Riley Meredith trapping Ricardo Vasconcelos in front for 15 before Craig Overton removed Nathan McSweeney (1) and Willey (6) cheaply.

Chris Lynn, the second-highest run-scorer in this season’s T20 Blast so far, finally picked up the pace for the Steelbacks, hitting three fours and three sixes in a 65-run fourth-wicket stand with Saif Zaib to stage a comeback of sorts.

But after Lynn was bowled by Ball’s slower off-cut for 39 off 26 balls to make the score 91-4, the Steelbacks’ innings failed to gain any real momentum with Somerset taking wickets at regular intervals.

Ball also took the key wickets of Zaib (26) and Lewis McManus (21), while Meredith took 3-21 and Overton 2-33.

Northants knew they needed something special and began their defense of 143 perfectly with batsman Tom Banton, who was released by England to play on finals day, caught behind a Willey duck on the first ball of Somerset’s reply.

Thomas Rew, caught by McSweeney off Ben Sanderson, and James Rew, bowled by Willey, quickly followed Banton back to the hut to leave Somerset in real trouble at 12-3 in three overs.

Will Smeed looked to have put Somerset back in the driving seat when he smashed Luke Procter for four fours and two sixes in the sixth over to add 28 to the total – more runs than Somerset had managed in their first five overs combined.

But Smeed was dismissed by James Sales for 49, with wicketkeeper McManus taking a superb one-handed diving catch at full length to his right, to stem the flow of runs before Lewis Gregory (13) and Tom Kohler-Cadmore (29) were dismissed in quick succession to leave Somerset 104-6.

Willey then got the moment of the match in the 18th over with a stunning piece of fielding to help dismiss Somerset’s quarter-final hero Overton for five, diving over the boundary rope to retrieve the ball in the air for Zaib to catch Sanderson.

It was a fitting way to cap Northamptonshire’s resilient performance on the field en route to victory, which was sealed when Daniel Sams departed for 13 in the 19th over and Meredith was bowled with the last ball of the match by Sanderson, who finished with 3-28.