Well, it`s mid September.  It`s a long time from May to December and the Autumn weather turns the leaves to flame.   And the days of Summer and cricket dwindle down to a precious few.  Sometimes the cricket season goes out with a whimper, shoulders are shrugged, a resigned acceptance kicks in and attention turns, however unwillingly, to the anxieties of being a football follower.  It`s just the way it is, some things will never change.

Yesterday was one of those dreamy, balmy, September days when the sun was high, the air was warm and comforting - just the sort of day to be outside, breathing it in and enjoying just being.   Trouble was, there was the T20 Finals Day on the television, beginning late morning and going on until late evening and it is one of those days when cricket reminds you that it has so much to offer that it becomes compulsive viewing.   My day was further complicated by the fact that the two cricket clubs I follow were both in action.   At the start, I considered whether I would prefer Hampshire or Kent to win the trophy but I concluded that as they might both fail to even reach the final, it really wouldn`t matter too much if either of them did.  Or indeed both of them.  Either way, it would be win-win or lose-lose.

The first semi-final in the morning saw Somerset snatch victory from the jaws of defeat, leaving Hampshire to rue the fact that they had snatched defeat from the jaws of victory.  One down, let`s hope for a better outcome for Kent.  In the second semi-final, they overcame neighbouring Sussex with a controlled display with the lowlight perhaps being Jordan Cox`s golden duck.

And so to the evening final between Kent and Somerset, neither of whom had won the trophy for more years than either cared to remember.   And what a final it was, with Cox turning from zero to hero with a wonderful half century to set Somerset a challenging run chase.  More to the point, Cox excelled in the field - one spectacular catch was followed by an extraordinary piece of athletic awareness to palm the ball back from the boundary not only to prevent a six but also so that Matt Milnes could take a vital catch to dismiss Somerset captain Lewis Gregory.   Somerset had no answer as Kent almost seamlessly moved to win the game and the T20 title by 25 runs.  Cue dancing in the streets of the Garden of England.

So, whilst there might still be the odd game to play before the curtain finally comes down on yet another season, yesterday ensured that cricket went out not with its customary whimper but with a resounding bang.  Here`s a reminder of why.....

Maybe next year it might be Hampshire?