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McLaren hat-trick hits Gladiators

Kent seamer Ryan McLaren bagged a hat-trick to help limit Gloucestershire to 146-8 off their 20 overs in the Twenty20 final at Edgbaston.

McLaren bowled Gladiators' dangerman Hamish Marshall for 65 and then removed Steve Adshead and Ian Fisher as Gloucestershire threatened to crumble.

But skipper Jon Lewis and Mark Hardinges eked out another 26 runs as Gloucester edged to a modest total.

Kent captain Rob Key won the toss and elected to field first.

Gloucestershire set off in promising fashion with a Marshall clip for four off Lasith Malinga with the first ball.

But in the second over Craig Spearman, man-of-the-match in the semi-final win over Lancashire, wafted at a wide one from Yasir Arafat and Martin Van Jaarsfeld pouched an easy edge at slip.

Two overs later Arafat's slower ball deceived Kadeer Ali, who could only hoist the ball high into the air above the safe hands of James Tredwell for six.

And the Gladiators suffered another blow when Chris Taylor fell lbw to Simon Cook for one in the fifth over.

Marshall became Gloucestershire's key man and the Kiwi kept one end ticking over with a series of chops, dabs and pushes.

But the Gladiators were reeling when Alex Gidman (5) was run out by a direct hit from Van Jaarsfeld after nudging a quick single onto the leg side.

Gloucestershire reached the halfway mark at 71-4 as Marshall and Hardinges steadied the ship with a partnership of 49.

But the Gladiators were mortally wounded when McLaren claimed Marshall, Adshead (bowled) and Fisher (lbw) in successive deliveries to leave Gloucestershire in deep trouble at 111-7 in the 17th over.

Lewis and Hardinges took the fight to Kent and added a valuable late order knock before the captain fell in the last over for 17, lbw to Malinga.

Hardinges was left on 39 not out, while McLaren ended with 3-22 off four overs.

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