Nottinghamshire Outlaws crowned T20 Blast champions after cruising past Birmingham Bears at Edgbaston

Samit Patel and Brendan Taylor star in 22 run win in front of a raucous crowd on finals day

The Bears could only muster 168-8 in their reply to the Outlaws' 190-4 (Getty)

Samit Patel and Brendan Taylor combined to smash a 132-run partnership and help Nottinghamshire clinch a domestic limited-overs double by beating Birmingham Bears in the NatWest T20 Blast final at Edgbaston on Saturday night.

The pair came together in the evening twilight with the Royal London One-Day Cup champions reeling on 30 for three and contributed a match-shaping spell which helped the Outlaws to 190 for four.

Sam Hain's second T20 fifty against Nottinghamshire this year gave Birmingham hope amid the clatter of wickets under lights but the impressive Harry Gurney ended his resistance for 72 from 44 balls as the Bears subsided to 168 for eight at their home ground, for a 22-run defeat.

Gurney, included ahead of England seamer Stuart Broad, demonstrated his worth to Nottinghamshire with figures of four for 17 to help his side to their first title in the sprint format.

Taylor (65 from 49 balls) and Patel (64no from 42) were the architects, though, in a final that pitted two teams from the North Group against each other - after Nottinghamshire had defeated Hampshire after Birmingham had seen off Glamorgan.

The teams had one win apiece from their meetings this season while the group fixture in Birmingham was marked by a season-ending head injury to Luke Fletcher, with Nottinghamshire succumbing to defeat on that occasion.

Nottinghamshire were up against it early on Saturday night too after Chris Woakes' triple strike, with the England all-rounder playing his first T20 games since representing Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League.

He proved his class after Nottinghamshire were put in, capitalising on a hint of movement early on to kiss the top of dangerman Alex Hales' off stump before Tom Moores top-edged to midwicket three balls later.

To the delight of an increasingly boisterous crowd, Woakes had his and Birmingham's third wicket in his next over when Riki Wessels, who alongside Hales had passed 500 runs for the tournament on Saturday, tickled a scoop to wicketkeeper Tim Ambrose.

Samit Patel was named man of the match for his performance with bat and ball (Getty Images)

At 30 for three Nottinghamshire were in real trouble but they have enviable batting resources and three stylish fours from Taylor in an Aaron Thomason over ensured they did not stagnate, before he and Patel consolidated.

They were watchful to the frontline bowlers but Patel cast off the shackles with a big maximum over midwicket to cap a 15-run over off part-timer Grant Elliott.

The pair continued to match hard running with the odd boundary as the stand developed, Taylor raising his bat first before Patel followed to a more bombastic half-century off the next ball in the descending darkness.

Woakes was brought back to stem the tide but was carved over deep cover for six by Patel. And although Colin de Grandhomme finally made the breakthrough with his first ball - after Taylor lofted to Dominic Sibley at long-off - the stage was set for Daniel Christian.

Chris Woakes took three early wickets for the Bears but they could not capitalise (Getty Images)

The Australian belted the final four deliveries for four-six-six-four from an unfortunate Olly Stone to lift his side to the highest total of the day, eclipsing Birmingham's 175 for nine against Glamorgan.

Patel continued to be in the thick of the action when his direct hit from mid-off ran out Birmingham's semi-final hero Ed Pollock, leaving the Bears two down after Gurney had castled Sibley with a slower ball.

Adam Hose and Elliott were dismissed for single-figure scores as Notts started to tighten the screw, with Birmingham left needing almost 12 runs an over at the halfway stage.

Hain had been playing almost a lone hand as he brought up a 27-ball half-century with a fantastic straight hit for his third six - having earlier twice cleared the ropes off Patel from successive balls - and he found a willing ally in De Grandhomme.

The big-hitting New Zealander put the ball into the stands to lift morale among the largely partisan crowd but then chopped on to the returning Gurney, who showed all his nous by taking pace off the ball, to depart for 27.

With three overs to go, Birmingham were five runs ahead of their opponents at the same stage of their innings - thanks to a couple of lusty blows from Thomason - and while Hain was there the de facto hosts had a chance.

But he seemed to be struggling with a leg injury and when he spooned Gurney to cover in the penultimate over, the writing was on the wall for Birmingham.

Gurney had his fourth when Thomason (26) edged behind as Birmingham were left a fanciful 29 to win from the final over.