Sussex are the Twenty20 champions after a high-class performance with bat and ball overwhelmed Somerset in tonight's final in front of a 20,000 crowd at Edgbaston.

Having already qualified for the Champions League in October by reaching the final the Sharks were determined to win the only domestic honour which has eluded them in the most successful era in the club's history.

And they did not disappoint, bowling out Somerset for 109 to win by a massive 63 runs.

The platform had been laid by the batsman who piled up 172-7 after being sent in with Dwayne Smith leading the way.

The big-hitting Bajan smashed 59 off just 26 balls with seven fours and three sixes including the biggest hit of the day which travelled 93 metres. His last 49 runs were scored off just 16 deliveries.

Luke Wright (20) and Rory Hamilton-Brown (25) made run-a-ball contributions at the top of the order and after Smith departed Chris Nash and Yasir Arafat mades sure there was no loss of momentum with a stand of 46 for the seventh wicket, the biggest of the innings, with Nash making 28 and Arafat an undefeated 21.

Sussex then removed Sabres' two danger men before they could could do too much damage.

Marcus Trescothick hit three sixes and three fours in 33 off just 15 balls but he skied a catch to Rory Hamilton-Brown off James Kirtley in the fourth over and two overs later Justin Langer's stumps were splattered by Arafat.

Apart from one expensive over which cost 19 runs from Will Beer the Sussex spinners did an excellent job on a pitch turning sharply with leg-spinner Beer removing both James Hildreth and Craig Kieswetter for a single.

Peter Trego hit 27 off 15 balls in a stand of 41 in five overs with Zander De Bruyn but he holed out in Hamilton-Brown's first over.

By then the asking rate had climbed to more than ten an over and Yardy ended any realistic hopes with a stunning one-handed catch at extra cover to remove De Bruyn.

With Kirtley picking up two wickets in successive balls and wicketkeeper Andy Hodd running out Max Waller Somerset had lost their last six wickets for just five runs and the big contingent of Sussex fans could begin their renditions of "Sussex by the Sea."

Sussex pocketed £80,000 for winning the title but that is nothing compared to the £3.6m bounty on offer in India in the Champions League.