Southern Vipers have also announced their squad for the Rachel Heyhoe Flint Trophy. The Women’s tournament is named after former England captain Rachael Heyhoe Flint, Baroness Heyhoe-Flint, who died in 2017. The tournament will comprise of 8 teams, pooled into two groups, competing in a series of one-day matches to be played between 29th August to 19th September.
The top team from each group will advance to the finals to be played on 26th September to determine the overall winner of the tournament. The one-off tournament is expected to provide much-needed match practice to England domestic players after the suspension of cricket for several months due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
She’s in! 🙌@Danni_Wyatt has been made available by @englandcricket for our first two Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy fixtures! 🏆🐍
📝Story ➡️ https://t.co/Z6vLQ6ABSn pic.twitter.com/D5jRflctuc
— Southern Vipers (@VipersKSL) August 25, 2020
The two groups are named ‘North Group’ and ‘South Group’ and include the following teams:
North Group: Central Sparks, Lightning, Northern Diamonds and Thunder
South Group: South East Stars, Southern Vipers, Sunrisers and Western Storm
The Southern Vipers have also named their 15-member squad for the competition. Comprising of the counties of Hampshire, Sussex, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Dorset, Isle of Wight and Oxfordshire, the squad features the best players of the region out of which seven are from Sussex itself. Following players will represent Southern Vipers in the competition:
Georgia Adams (Sussex):
This 26-year old opening batter was impressive in the Kia Super League last year. Representing Loughborough Lightning, she played some handy knocks for her side including an impressive half-century in the middle overs to guide her teams against the Lancashire Thunder. She scored 154 runs in the last 8 innings she had played and will be an exciting player to watch in the tournament.
Lauren Bell (Berkshire):
Hailing from Berkshire, the 19-year old featured in the Kia Super League last year, where she was also a part of the Southern Vipers side. A right-arm seamer, she picked up 8 wickets in her last ten outings which helped them reach the finals. She would want to continue with her form and make her mark in this competition.
Maia Bouchier (Middlesex):
This 21-year old Middlesex batter was also a part of last year’s Kia Super League playing for Southern Vipers. Although she could not contribute heavily, she scored a classy 40 against the Lancashire Thunder. She now has yet another opportunity to prove her worth in the limited-overs setup.
Ella Chandler (Canterbury):
Although she does not have the big-match experience of the Kia Super League, Ella Chandler has been playing in the Canterbury side in the 50-over format since last year the last playing against Central Districts just before the pandemic struck across the world. In one of those matches, she showed her capabilities by scoring a half-century.
Providence Cowdrill (Hampshire):
This spinner from Hampshire has not played any match in the Kia Super League. However, she has impressed in the domestic one-day competitions playing for Hampshire. She has taken 16 wickets in her last ten matches all the way up to 2018. She can hope for a significant boost to her credentials in this tournament.
Charlotte Dean (Hampshire):
Playing for Hampshire, this 19-year old has been impressive with both bat all ball. In her last 7 matches that she had played in the 50-over format, she has taken 11 wickets while scoring a well-compiled half-century. She has not got many opportunities in the T20 format, playing just a solitary match in the Kia Super League. She will look for a far greater contribution to this tournament.
Ariana Dowse (Hampshire):
Representing Hampshire, Ariana Dowse will play as a wicket-keeper for her side. She has had a fair return in the domestic one-day setup last year taking 5 catches and 3 stumpings in seven outings.
Cassidy McCarthy (Sussex):
Representing Sussex in the domestic one-day setup, Cassidy McCarthy is a prominent bowler from her side picking up 6 wickets in 7 matches in the one-day format. She will look forward to gaining more match experience in this competition.
Ella McCaughan (Sussex):
Ella McCaughan has been playing for Sussex in the domestic one-day competitions. As a batter in her side, she has got many starts but has failed to convert any of them into big knocks. She will get yet another opportunity in this tournament to establish herself as a batter for her team.
Alice Monaghan (Hampshire):
Playing for Hampshire in the domestic one-day competitions, Alice Monaghan has not made any significant contribution yet to further her cause in the England setup. She represented Yorkshire Diamonds in the Kia Super League in 2018 but did not play in the 2019 edition.
Tara Norris (Sussex):
This 21-year old seamer from Sussex has been quite competent for her side in the domestic one-day competitions, picking up 11 wickets from her last 7 appearances. Her last stint was playing in the Kia Super League last year for Loughborough Lightning where she played 3 matches.
Carla Rudd (Sussex):
Aged 26, Carla Rudd is a wicket-keeper who last played for Southern Vipers in last year’s Kia Super League. She will compete with Ariana Dowse for the wicket-keeper slot for the side in the competition.
Emily Windsor (Hampshire):
Aged 22, Emily Windsor has represented Hampshire in the domestic one-day setup. As a batter, she has played quite a few matches but with limited success, which she will want to reverse in this tournament.
Paige Scholfield (Sussex):
Hailing from South Africa, this 24-year old has played for the Southern Vipers in the Kia Super League last year but has not had much success and will look forward to this tournament to prove her credentials.
Freya Kemp (Sussex):
This bowler, from Sussex, has just featured in the England Academy side so far and this will be the first time that she will be a part of the squad for the full tournament.
The side will be coached by the England veteran, Charlotte Edwards. When asked to comment on the composition of her side, she said, “We’ve selected a strong and versatile 15-player squad to compete in this summer’s Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy. We have players with lots of Kia Super League and county experience, combined with some of the brightest young talents in the country.”
South Central Regional Director of Cricket, Adam Carty, said: ‘’We are thrilled by the strength and depth we have within the squad and found ourselves omitting some really talented players. We feel we’ve got a good mix of youth and experience and it’s an exciting time for all involved as we work toward the commencement of the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy later this month.’’
The side will begin the tournament on 29th August playing against Sunrisers in Chelmsford.