Veteran left-arm spinner Gary Keedy is not noted as a whippet-like fielder, but his direct hit dismissed Somerset’s last man Gemaal Hussain and left Lancashire with a target of 211 to chase yesterday.

And that moment of brilliance from the Yorkshireman turned proud Lancastrian was not lost on his team-mates.

Batsman Karl Brown joked: “He said he’s trained 18 years for that throw and he managed to hit.”

It was a moment that shocked skipper Glen Chapple, who grinned: “I have played with Keeds a long time – he had to hit sometime.”

Brown and Steven Croft saw Lancashire to their target with an unbroken stand of 78 after openers Paul Horton and Stephen Moore put on 131 to set up the chase.

“It’s been an unbelievable season and to have a partnership with Crofty at the end was brilliant, we’ve had good partnerships throughout the season,” Brown said.

Director of cricket Mike Watkinson, who played for the county for 18 of the 77 years since their last outright Championship win, said: “I’m delighted for this group of people, it’s been 77 years but we can’t be held accountable for that history – these lads have been brilliant and have got their just rewards.

“It’s a relief to our supporters and we can see the joy on everybody’s faces, it means so much to everyone.

“It’s a new dawn for us, it’s a young squad, and we can learn a lot from how we’ve won this.

"They’re fit young men who never want to die wondering and have come of age.”