Southern Vipers Triumph Over The Blaze to Secure Spot in Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy Final

Southern Vipers Book Their Place in Rachael Heyhoe Trophy Final

In a surprising turn of events, the Southern Vipers have secured their place in the final of the Rachael Heyhoe Trophy by knocking The Blaze off the top spot during the final round of group matches.

The Vipers dominated their match against the Blaze at Loughborough, cruising to victory with an impressive 126-run lead. This outstanding performance has earned them a direct entry into the final at Northampton on Sunday, 24th September.

Meanwhile, The Blaze will have to settle for second place and face a play-off against South East Stars on Thursday for a chance to advance further in the tournament.

Stars Shine Bright as Central Sparks Crumble

In another thrilling encounter, South East Stars showcased their dominance by demolishing Central Sparks with an astounding 152-run victory at Edgbaston. This victory secured their position as one of the top three qualifying teams.

On Saturday’s match between Thunder and Western Storm, Thunder emerged victorious with a five-wicket win over Storm. Similarly, Sunrisers triumphed over Northern Diamonds by six wickets despite facing rain interruptions during their match.

Vipers’ Stellar Performance Against The Blaze

The Southern Vipers faced tough competition from The Blaze who had already qualified for at least semi-finals before this game. However,
a strong batting display from returning England batter Maya Bouchier and Georgia Elwiss both making 64 runs off 68 balls each, along with Emily Windsor’s well-paced 52 off 53 balls, allowed the Vipers to reach a commendable total of 288. The Blaze’s Grace Ballinger proved a formidable opponent, taking four wickets for her team.

The Blaze started their chase strongly with Marie Kelly and Sarah Bryce putting up an impressive partnership. However, once Bryce fell for 23 runs,
the hosts struggled to maintain momentum. Georgia Adams’ excellent performance removed Kelly for a solid score of 56 runs.
Kathryn Bryce added some contributions with her bat but the rest of The Blaze lineup collapsed rapidly, losing their last five wickets for just ten runs.
This collapse resulted in them being bowled out for a mere total of 162 runs giving the Vipers an important bonus point and securing their place at the top of the group on net run-rate.

South East Stars Shine Brightest Against Central Sparks

In another gripping encounter between South East Stars and Central Sparks,
it was clear that Stars had no intention of letting go easily as they opted to field first. Their decision paid off immensely as Kira Chathli (61)
and skipper Bryony Smith (97) put together an exceptional partnership worth 125 runs.
Bryony Smith missed out on scoring her century by just three runs but Chloe Hill (34) and Maddie Blinkhorn-Jones (24 not out)
further contributed down the order allowing Stars to set an imposing target of 283-7 from their allocated overs.

In response,
The Sparks faltered early on as Ryana MacDonald-Gay’s bowling prowess dismissed both openers quickly.
Central Sparks never managed to recover from this setback,
dismantling under Alice Davidson-Richards’ three-wicket haul.
Maddy Green emerged as the top scorer for Sparks with 39 runs but it wasn’t enough,
as they were eventually bowled out for a disappointing total of 131 runs.

Sunrisers Outshine Northern Diamonds in Rain-Affected Match

Despite rain interruptions, Sunrisers managed to secure a convincing six-wicket victory over Northern Diamonds at Chester-le-Street.
In a match where diamonds shone briefly before being subdued by sunrises,
Diamonds reached 114-6 before their innings was cut short due to rain. Sterre Kallis and Bess Heath demonstrated some dazzling batting performances
with scores of 28 and an impressive 37 respectively.

With revised target of chasing down 126 runs off just 18 overs,
Sunrisers’ unbroken fifth-wicket stand between Joanne Gardner (30 not out) and Florence Miller (20 not out) ensured their team achieved victory with three balls to spare, making it a memorable win against the Diamonds.

Thunder Roar Against Western Storm

The Thunder showed no mercy as they handed bottom side Western Storm yet another defeat during their encounter in Manchester.
Storm’s openers Emma Corney (53) and Sophia Smale (56) put up an impressive partnership of nearly one hundred runs.
Captain Sophie Luff also contributed significantly with her half-century but ultimately couldn’t prevent her team from posting just
a decent total of 250-7.

In response, Thunder stumbled early on as Smale’s excellent bowling reduced them to a worrying scoreline of only seventeen for three wickets lost. However, captain Ellie Threlkeld played the role of savior masterfully by scoring an unbeaten century while Naomi Dattani provided valuable support with her 82 runs. This partnership of 177 runs helped Thunder secure a remarkable five-wicket victory with 20 balls to spare.