Cork (R) celebrates a wicket, but it was Gloucestershire's day

Cork took two wickets in his final over to reduce the warm favourites to 217-9 chasing just 220 to win.

But it was his profligate display at the start which allowed openers Craig Spearman and Phil Weston to get off to a fast start.

And not even Cork's David Beckham hairdo could quite create the magic needed to bring down the home side.

Cork said: "Gloucestershire are a very good one-day side but I've got to apologise - I didn't bowl very well at the beginning.

"If I could have got a few wickets at the beginning it might have been a little different."

Asked to explain his hairstyle, with long blond locks held in place by an Alice band favoured by certain footballers, he said: "It was braided but it was a bit sore to bowl with - now I'm trying to look like David Beckham but it's not working."

Winning skipper Mark Alleyne said: "I thoroughly enjoyed that today. It was a bit of a close one but we got there in the end."

Match report: Gloucestershire dig deep to sneak home

He admitted that giving his own wicket away - a dismissal which led to the late wobble - was a bad bit of cricket.

"It was a poor shot by myself but we have played some fantastic cricket leading up to today."

Pakistani all-rounder Shoaib Malik was given the man-of-the-match award for a brilliant 74 in his last match for Gloucestershire this season.

Ian Harvey is on his way back from Australia and will take his place in the side for the final.

"It has been a small stay but it has been nice and all the guys have made me very welcome," said Malik.

"If they would like to offer me a contract for next year, of course I would come depending on whether or not Pakistan have any tours.

"I would have liked to have played in the final but I am required for the Test series with Bangladesh and so I will try and keep in touch on the day to find out what is happening."