Acting Middlesex skipper Ed Joyce believes ‘fearless cricket’ and not being scared of the potential riches available via the Champions League earned the Crusaders their first major title in 15 years.
Former Ireland international Joyce and his players held their nerve to defeat Kent by three runs in a thrilling Twenty20 Cup final at the Rose Bowl.
They have now definitely qualified for the Champions League in India this winter as they have none of the ICL players in their ranks who have incurred the wrath on the Indian cricketing authorities.
Middlesex will be competing for £2.5million but Joyce insisted that was not on the minds of the players.
He said: ‘We have been talking about the Champions League all season but today we said we were going to play fearless cricket and, if we thought about bowling a certain ball or playing a certain shot, we were going to go out and do it.
‘We were going to do it with no regrets and not think about the potential riches that lie ahead. That showed in the way we played in both the games.
‘Owais Shah and Tyron Henderson played two fantastic knocks and everyone else chipped in around them and everyone bowled and fielded very well.
‘We talked about the Champions League but I don't think it distracted us too much.’
Joyce added: ‘It is fantastic to lead the county to their first title for 15 years. We've missed Ed Smith quite a bit at the top and his captaincy as well while injured.
‘Ed, myself and (coach) Toby Radford came up with a template for the way we were going to play but it is great to be the person leading the county to the title.’
Joyce feared he had cost his side when he dropped Kent dangerman Justin Kemp on the boundary off Tim Murtagh under the glare of the Rose Bowl floodlights.
Kemp went onto make 49 before being run out in the final over from Henderson, much to the relief of Joyce.
He said: ‘Fielding down there on the boundary where I was is right behind the lights. I talked to Shaun Udal, who has fielded down there a lot when with Hampshire, and he said it is right behind one of the lights and you've either got to get one side or the other.
‘When I dropped it, I thought it was going to be one of those where I've dropped the catch which has cost Middlesex their first final in so long.
‘Those kind of things go through your head. You are kicking yourself for a while because someone like Kemp punishes you for those sort of things. Fortunately, it came right in the end.’
Disappointed Kent captain Rob Key insisted the pre-finals focus on the big riches on offer did not affect his side.
‘If anything, I thought we coped pretty well,’ said Key, whose side have now missed out on lucrative games against Trinidad and Tobago and England in Antigua this winter as part of challenge matches arranged by Sir Allen Stanford.
But Kent will qualify for the Champions League providing problems over the eligibility of ICL players can be resolved.
Key said: ‘I thought we fielded brilliantly in the semi-final and that was almost as big a a game as the final because winning that gave you entry into other competitions and the money that everyone's going on about.
‘That was the time when all that was at stake and I thought it was a credit to both sides how they performed and how they behaved out there.
‘Twenty20 might in the long run harm other forms of the game but I would have thought that was brilliant to watch. That final was a great advert for Twenty20 cricket.’
