BIRMINGHAM — David Willey starred with both bat and ball as Northamptonshire thrashed Surrey by 102 runs to win English county cricket's Twenty20 final at Edgbaston Saturday. Willey, the son of former England batsman turned umpire Peter Willey, smashed 60 off just 27 balls with six fours and four sixes as Northamptonshire piled up a huge score of 194 for two in an innings reduced by rain to 18 overs. The 23-year-old left-arm fast-medium bowler then took four wickets for nine runs, including a hat trick to end the match, as Surrey was bowled out for just 92 with Northamptonshire winning its first major trophy in 21 years. Willey was only promoted to open after Kyle Coetzer injured a wrist in the seven-wicket semi-final win over Essex. But his big-hitting was followed by half-centuries from captain Alex Wakely (59 not out) and Australia's Cameron White (54 not out), who shared an unbroken stand of 107 from 57 balls. It was a night to forget for Surrey's bowlers, with England One-Day International paceman Jade Dernbach's four overs costing 55 runs. Northamptonshire's success was all the more impressive as before this season they'd won just three of their previous 22 Twenty20 matches. Earlier, Pakistan's Azhar Mahmood helped Surrey ensure there was no fairytale farewell for retiring Hampshire captain Dimitri Mascarenhas as it beat the defending champion by four wickets in the semifinals. In the other semis, Northamptonshire won over Essex. — AP
