Edinburgh Castle Rockers produced a dominant performance to beat Belfast Wolves by 59 runs in the European T20 Premier League, with Tom Curran making history by claiming the tournament’s first-ever hat-trick. The England all-rounder delivered a sensational spell at the death to derail the Wolves’ chase and finish with four wickets. After being asked to bat first, Edinburgh Castle Rockers posted an imposing 189/5 in their 20 overs. JJ Smuts was the star of the innings, smashing a superb 98 off 60 deliveries to give his team a strong platform.

Belfast Wolves struggled to maintain the required run rate and were eventually bowled out for 130 in 17.1 overs. While Smuts was named Player of the Match for his outstanding batting display, it was Tom Curran’s late burst that completely changed the complexion of the contest. Curran began his decisive spell in the 16th over, taking two wickets as Belfast Wolves desperately looked to revive their chase. His first breakthrough came when Fred Klaassen attempted to attack a short delivery.

Tom Curran sent a sharp lifter towards the batter, forcing Klaassen into a mistimed hook shot. The ball travelled high towards deep square leg, where Ross Adair completed a comfortable catch. Klaassen departed for four off five balls.

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Tom Curran struck again with the final delivery of the over, producing a back-of-a-length delivery that skidded through Matthew Humphreys’ defence and crashed into the top of middle stump. Humphreys was dismissed for a duck, leaving Curran one wicket away from history. The hat-trick opportunity had to wait until the beginning of his next over. Curran returned for the 18th over and immediately completed the milestone by dismissing Mark Adair with the first ball.

✒️ his name in the history books 👉 Tom Curran took the first-ever hat-trick of #ETPL 👑😍 pic.twitter.com/yN2JwmUpvH

— European T20 Premier League (ETPL) (@etplofficial) September 2, 2026

The bowler cleverly used a slower off-cutter, which Adair attempted to work towards the leg side. He failed to generate sufficient power, and the ball went high towards deep midwicket. Ross Adair once again held his nerve, completing a tumbling catch to dismiss his brother for 14 off 11 balls.

Tom Curran finished with outstanding figures of 4/20 from 3.1 overs, helping Edinburgh bowl Belfast Wolves out for 130 and seal a convincing 59-run victory. Rockers captain Mitchell Santner praised his team’s batting effort, particularly Smuts’ innings and the partnerships that helped them post a competitive total.

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Belfast Wolves captain Glenn Maxwell, meanwhile, admitted his side believed the target was chaseable but conceded that the loss of wickets proved decisive. He also praised Smuts for his clean hitting and backed the tournament to produce more competitive cricket as the race at the top intensifies.