Having demonstrated excellent performances with bat and ball in the last four matches against Notts Outlaws, James Vince decided to bowl first after winning the final toss, despite knowing that the Steelbacks had beaten Somerset by batting first in the first semi-final.
Baker took the early scalp of danger man and former Hawk Chris Lynn, the Australian veteran, bowling a short delivery to Chris Wood at short fine leg, but the Steelbacks rallied with Vasconcelos and Nathan McSweeney (30) adding a defiant 60 in six overs.
Another 69 overs followed between Vasconcelos and Lewis McManus from the next 7.2 overs with Northants 138-2 with 4.5 overs remaining before McManus bowled Scott Currie out for 22 overs.
This triggered an almighty collapse as left-handed opener Vasconcelos blasted off a career-best 88 from 59 balls, including 11 fours and two sixes, falling to Baker’s slower ball, the first of six wickets to fall in 12 innings.
Three of them came in Baker’s final, leaving him with a career-best 5-21 – just three days after his 5-24 in the quarter-finals – and becoming the first player to register a five-fer on final day.
James Fuller finished with 7-62 from eight overs on the day as the Steelbacks were dismissed in the final over.
The Steelbacks made an excellent start to the response, with Toby Albert moving the first ball from Willie to the keeper, but Vince and Weatherley, who combined for 126 points in the semi-final, leveled the score at 40 before Vince flicked the ball from James Sayles to Vasconcelos to head for 17.
Weatherly managed to surpass Luke Wright’s 2018 record of 125 for the most runs in a single final day, but fell to Ben Mays (9) before dangerous spinner Tristan Stubbs (2) was peached off spinner Calvin Harrison five balls later, and despite Hilton Cartwright making 11 from four balls, Sales yorked him to leave The Hawks are against him with eight overs remaining.
Sales registered figures of 3-25, making it 4-41 from eight overs on the day and 25 wickets in the competition.
Weatherley declared his second half-century on the day and was supported by Liam Dawson, but required 74 from the last seven overs and 58 from the last five.
On a pitch where he scored the best score of his England career against India on Tuesday, Dawson helped himself to Willie’s 17-over final, moving to 26 and leaving the Hawks needing 41 off the last 24 balls.
Dawson turned to hit a six off Luke Procter for 35 off 18 balls, but two balls later was disastrously run out at the non-striker’s end after going for a farewell single which Weatherley gave up.
Fuller came in with 32 needed from 20 balls, but Weatherly took it upon himself to be the tournament’s top run-scorer and left his team needing 22 from the last two overs.
Two balls later the total was reduced to 17 before Procter cleared Fuller’s off stump as he attempted to flick the ball over mid-wicket, and Curry followed two balls later when he failed a ramp attempt.
Weatherly then bowled after a 53-ball knock that produced nine fours and two sixes, and Baker followed immediately after to start the Steelbacks’ celebrations.