AMID the jubilation and ecstasy at Lord’s on Saturday, one message shone through among the Somerset players – this is just the start.

They had certainly had enough of being the plucky runners-up.

Somerset have played and lost five finals since their Twenty20 Cup win in 2005 and they had been warned by Hampshire’s Kyle Abbott that “instead of Taunton they will be at Lord's on a bigger stage and nerves show."

If Somerset were anxious about the big stage, they didn’t show it. From Josh Davey’s controlled opening spell to Tom Banton’s fireworks with the bat via Jamie Overton’s flurry of wickets, there was barely a period in the game in which Somerset did not look in control.

That made in an almost unnervingly comfortable victory for Somerset fans who have become accustomed to nail-biting drama on such occasions, and it was one that was savoured by fans, players and coaches alike.

For James Hildreth, it was a particularly glorious day.

Hildreth is the only player from Saturday’s team to have played in Somerset’s last successful final, the Twenty20 Cup win in 2005, and just as on that occasion it was Hildreth who hit the winning runs to see Somerset home.

“It is a special moment and hard to sum up,” said Hildreth, who finished unbeaten on 69.

“I feel like this should have happened a few times before, winning and getting over the line, so it’s great to experience it again.

“It’s too long that we’ve waited for this moment.

“Credit to the bowlers. They got us in the game and kept them to what we felt was an under-par score.

“We were pretty confident of chasing it down and the way Azhar and Bants [Tom Banton] came out and played was great.”

If Somerset are to build on this trophy win, harnessing the pace and potential of Jamie Overton will be key.

The 25-year-old is currently on loan at Northants in four-day cricket but returned to Somerset’s XI for Lord’s and picked up the man of the match award following figures of 3-48, including the vital wicket of Rilee Rossouw just as the South African was starting to motor.

It represented a dramatic change in individual fortunes for the seamer on the big stage - in last year’s T20 semi-final at Edgbaston, Overton’s three overs cost 50.

At Lord’s, however, he was firing once more and able to celebrate a trophy with his twin brother and a host of cricketers he has grown up playing alongside.

“It’s a pretty surreal day,” the 25-year-old said.

“We had a lot of belief coming into the game as we know we’ve got an amazing squad, but you’ve still got to perform on the day.

“We did that today and it feels incredible.

“It’s great for the boys to get over that line, which we haven’t been able to do in recent years.

“We have a great squad, a lot of self-belief and a lot of camaraderie.

“Everyone wants each other to do well and it’s an amazing feeling knowing how happy all the boys are for each other.

“We have a lot of young talent coming through and we have grown up together.

“Then we have Tregs [Peter Trego], Hildy [James Hildreth] and then Tres [Marcus Trescothick] in the four-day stuff and it all comes together.

“It’s a brilliant feeling for the coaches, players and supporters.”

If Overton’s story represents a comeback story, it perhaps has little on Tom Abell’s.

Appointed skipper at 22, Abell’s travails during that first season are well documented but it is safe to say that, as he sat dejected on the coach back from Southampton having decided to drop himself from the team, days like Saturday must have felt a million miles away.

Throughout it all, however, Abell has remained steadfast and has now emerged through the other side as a confident leader of a side he is making his own.

Little wonder, then, that he described Saturday as “the best day of my life.”

“It does free the shackles a little bit and people will talk about us as winners as opposed to runners-up,” Abell added.

“At the start of the season you set out to win every competition – this was the first one up for grabs and we managed to do that. The team have been phenomenal right through the competition.

“It means a huge amount for us as a team and everyone associated with the club. It’s a very special day.”

If there can be one disappointment, it is that the One-Day Cup final will not be at Lord’s from next year.

The stands may have only been half-full yesterday – in no small part due to the inexplicable clashing with England’s World Cup warm-up game with Australia and the general dumbing down of coverage of this year’s competition – but it still felt like a true spectacle.

Crowds mingled around the famous pavilion, picnicked in the nursery end grounds and simply made the most of soaking up the atmosphere at one of British sport’s most iconic venues. Trent Bridge is a lovely ground, no doubt, but finals in the years to come will not quite feel the same.

With that in mind, it’s particularly pleasing that Somerset have chosen this year to break their trophy duck.

Nobody should get too carried away, of course – Somerset supporters have seen enough false dawns to guard against that – but this is a likable bunch of players whose success is bringing joy to a region traditionally starved of sporting days in the sun.

They have the talent and now, crucially, the belief to add further to the trophy cabinet in the years to come and the final word goes to Hildreth, whose success yesterday was surely not begrudged by any cricket fan watching around the country.

“Hopefully this is a platform,” Hildreth said.

“We have a special group of players here so hopefully we can kick on and win a few more.

“We are going well in the Championship and I think we can make this a special era within the history of Somerset cricket.”