A devastating spell of high-class swing bowling from Katherine Brunt helped England beat New Zealand comfortably to win the Women's ICC World Twenty20.
Brunt, swinging the ball into the left-handers and seaming it away from the right-handers, took 3-6 as the White Ferns were bowled out for just 85.
Player of the tournament Claire Taylor hit an unbeaten 39 as England won by six wickets with 18 balls to go.
England now hold the Ashes, the 50-over World Cup and the Twenty20 trophies.
In contrast to their nervous performance in the field in the semi-final at The Oval, when Australia hit 163-5, this was a highly-polished display by all the bowlers and the fielders, not least wicketkeeper Sarah Taylor who took a stumping and two fine catches.
The early start, at 1030 BST, may have helped Brunt find swing, and she was quick to cash in, bowling the dangerous left-hander Aimee Watkins (scorer of an unbeaten 89 in the semi-finals), and then adding the wickets of Lucy Doolan - caught behind attempting a paddle-sweep - and Rachel Priest, who was caught and bowled.
Against Australia, Brunt had been brought into the side at the expense of Isa Guha in an attempt to rattled the opposition with pace and bounce. The ploy failed when she went for 39 runs, but England's management intelligently persevered with the woman from Barnsley and here she repaid their loyalty in dramatic fashion.
Laura Marsh (R) after taking the first wicket for England |
As important as the wickets was her superb economy rate, in a match in which the other bowlers all cost at least four an over.
After eight overs, the score was 23-4, Laura Marsh having set the ball rolling with a wicket in the very first over with her bravely flighted off-spin, and New Zealand did not know whether to stick, twist or fold.
Medium-pacers Nicky Shaw and Jenny Gunn helped themselves to two wickets each, and the scoring was of the ones and twos variety until the 18th over, by which time England must have felt they had done enough.
By then Holly Colvin had got through her four overs of left-arm spin safely, and it took a burst of 21 runs from 11 balls towards the end, with Sophie Devine and Kate Pulford finally putting some pressure on the fielders, to take the White Ferns past 80.
Lydia Greenway, who had earlier held a fine catch running in from the boundary, produced a deadly accurate throw to run out Devine from the final ball.
England's chase got under way with a lovely cover-drive from Sarah Taylor for four, and skipper Charlotte Edwards took the left-arm seamer for two off-side boundaries in the fourth over.
But Edwards was over-confident. Backing away to leg in a bid to hit Sian Ruck for another boundary, she was defeated by the inswing, and New Zealand had a wicket to celebrate.
In the seventh over, an outside edge from Claire Taylor, off Pulford, was dropped by wicketkeeper Priest before she had scored. The ball escaped for four and a massive opportunity to have England's best batsman back in the pavilion was lost.
England's best batsman Claire Taylor was voted player of the tournament |
New Zealand kept attacking field settings, forcing England to hit boundaries, and the tactic had some effect in making the host nation feel pressure that wasn't really there.
Sarah Taylor nicked an attempted cut to fall for 23, before Claire Taylor slipped gears, biffing Pulford down the ground for four and then whipping Suzie Bates through square-leg.
Beth Morgan was dropped once, before holing out to midwicket, but by then Taylor, the Oxford graduate and former hockey player who has become a thorn in the side of so many teams, was in full flow.
Ten runs came from Doolan's first over, and just 14 were needed from the last five overs with seven wickets in hand.
Just as they had done in the World Cup final - when New Zealand were again the opposition - England did not make things entirely straightforward, losing another batsman when Greenway was bowled slogging across the line.
But Taylor was determined to see the job through to the finish, sealing the deal with a lofted straight drive for four off Nicola Browne
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