# Southern Vipers

The Southern Vipers were a women's cricket team that represented the South of England. The Vipers wore an orange and black kit and primarily played their home matches at the Rose Bowl and the County Ground, Hove.
They were coached by former England captain Charlotte Edwards. Southern Vipers were partnered with Hampshire, Sussex, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Dorset, Oxfordshire and the Isle of Wight Cricket Board.
The Vipers were originally formed in 2016 to compete in the Women's Cricket Super League, and won the inaugural competition, winning all but one of their group games, and then defeating Western Storm at the finals day held at Chelmsford by 7 wickets. In 2020, women's cricket in England was reformed, but the Southern Vipers brand was retained, and they won the first two editions of the 50-over Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, beating Northern Diamonds in the final both times. They won their first Charlotte Edwards Cup in 2022, beating Central Sparks in the final, before retaining their title the following year, beating The Blaze in the final. After losing in the final of the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy in 2022, they won the tournament for the third time in 2023.
At the end of the 2024 season, following reforms to the structure of women's domestic cricket, the team was effectively replaced by a professionalised Hampshire team.

## History
### 2016–2019: Women's Cricket Super League

Southern Vipers were formed in 2016 to compete in the new Women's Cricket Super League, partnering with Hampshire CCC, Sussex CCC and various cricket boards across South England. In their inaugural season, they topped the group stage, winning four of their five games, progressing straight to the final. In the final, the Vipers faced Western Storm, who they beat by 7 wickets to claim the inaugural WCSL title.
2017 saw continued success for Southern Vipers, as they again topped the group stage, with four wins. In the final, they faced Western Storm in a rematch of the previous year, but this time the result was reversed, as Storm were victorious by 7 wickets. The Vipers were unable to replicate their form in 2018, finishing bottom of the group, with just two wins from ten games.
In 2019, however, Southern Vipers competed in their third Finals Day after qualifying third in the group, with four wins and a tie. After beating Loughborough Lightning in the semi-final, the Vipers again faced Western Storm in the final. Danni Wyatt's 73 helped Southern Vipers to 172/7 batting first, but Storm chased down the target with one over to spare. Wyatt ended the tournament as the leading run-scorer and Player of the Tournament.

### 2020–2024: Domestic Regional Hub

In 2020, women's cricket in England was restructured, creating eight new 'regional hub' teams, with the intention of playing both 50-over and 20-over cricket. The Southern Vipers brand was retained after this restructuring, with some differences to the squad and coaching staff. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 season was truncated, and only 50-over cricket was played, in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy. Southern Vipers won all 6 of their group stage games, finishing top of the South Group and progressing to the Final, where they faced the Northern Diamonds. The Vipers, batting first, reached 150-1 before collapsing to 231 all out, with captain Georgia Adams top scoring with 80. Vipers spinner Charlotte Taylor then took 6/34 as Northern Diamonds were bowled out for 193, meaning that the Vipers won the inaugural Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy. Adams and Taylor were the leading run-scorer and wicket-taker in the tournament, respectively. At the end of the season, five Vipers players were given full-time domestic contracts, the first of their kind in England: Georgia Adams, Tara Norris, Paige Scholfield, Lauren Bell and Maia Bouchier.
The following season, 2021, Southern Vipers competed in both the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy and the newly-formed Twenty20 competition, the Charlotte Edwards Cup. In the Charlotte Edwards Cup the side progressed to Finals Day as the best second-placed team, winning four of their six matches in Group A. However, they lost to Northern Diamonds in the semi-final, being bowled out for 117 in response to the Diamonds' 135/6. In the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, Southern Vipers progressed directly to the final after topping the group, winning six of their seven matches. In the final they again faced Northern Diamonds, in a repeat of the previous year's match. Bowling first, the Vipers restricted their opponents to 183, but were in turn reduced to 109/7 in reply. However, an unbeaten stand of 78 for the 8th wicket between Emily Windsor (47*) and Tara Norris (40*) saw Southern Vipers home with 2 balls to spare.
Ahead of the 2022 season, Southern Vipers launched the South Central Counties Cup, a 50-over tournament for the counties that make up the Vipers region. That season, they won their first Charlotte Edwards Cup, going unbeaten in the group stage before beating Central Sparks in the final. They again qualified for the final of the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, this time via the play-off, beating South East Stars by 6 wickets after qualifying third in the initial group stage. They again played Northern Diamonds in the final, the third consecutive encounter between the two sides, but this time Vipers lost by two runs.
In 2023, Southern Vipers won the domestic double. In the Charlotte Edwards Cup, they finished second in the group stage before defeating North West Thunder in the semi-final and The Blaze in the final. In the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, they topped the group stage with seven victories in fourteen matches, before defeating The Blaze in the final.
In 2024, the side reached the semi-finals of both competitions, finishing third in both group stages and losing to South East Stars in both semi-finals. 2024 was the side's final season, with reforms to the structure of domestic cricket in England meaning that the side was effectively replaced by a professionalised Hampshire team.

## Home grounds

| Venue | Games hosted by season | Games hosted by season | Games hosted by season | Games hosted by season | Games hosted by season | Games hosted by season | Games hosted by season | Games hosted by season | Games hosted by season | Games hosted by season |
| Venue | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | Total |
| Rose Bowl | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 29 |
| Arundel Castle Cricket Ground | – | 1 | 1 | 1 | – | 1 | – | 2 | 2 | 8 |
| County Ground, Hove | – | – | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 13 |
| Newclose County Cricket Ground | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | – | 1 |
| Falkland Cricket Club | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Sir Paul Getty's Ground | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 2 | 2 |

## Players
### Current squad

Final squad, 2024 season.
* No. denotes the player's squad number, as worn on the back of their shirt.
* ‡ denotes players with international caps.
| No. | Name | Nationality | Birth date | Batting style | Bowling style | Notes |
| Batters |||||||
| 4 | Emily Windsor | England | (1997-06-14) 14 June 1997 (age 27) | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | |
| 8 | Ella McCaughan | England | (2002-09-26) 26 September 2002 (age 22) | Right-handed | Right-arm leg break | |
| 12 | Abi Norgrove | England | (2006-01-17) 17 January 2006 (age 18) | Right-handed | Right-arm off break | |
| 16 | Maia Bouchier ‡ | England | (1998-12-05) 5 December 1998 (age 25) | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | |
| All-rounders |||||||
| 1 | Georgia Adams ‡ | England | (1993-10-04) 4 October 1993 (age 31) | Right-handed | Right-arm off break | Club captain |
| 6 | Freya Kemp ‡ | England | (2005-04-21) 21 April 2005 (age 19) | Left-handed | Left-arm medium | |
| 9 | Mary Taylor | England | (2004-10-07) 7 October 2004 (age 20) | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | |
| 20 | Alice Monaghan | England | (2000-03-20) 20 March 2000 (age 24) | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | |
| 21 | Sophie Mitchelmore | England | (2001-01-21) 21 January 2001 (age 23) | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | |
| 22 | Charlie Dean ‡ | England | (2000-12-22) 22 December 2000 (age 23) | Right-handed | Right-arm off break | |
| 28 | Danni Wyatt ‡ | England | (1991-04-22) 22 April 1991 (age 33) | Right-handed | Right-arm off break | |
| 34 | Georgia Elwiss ‡ | England | (1991-05-31) 31 May 1991 (age 33) | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | |
| Wicket-keepers |||||||
| 3 | Megan Sturge | England | (2004-11-03) 3 November 2004 (age 19) | Right-handed | Right-arm off break | |
| 17 | Rhianna Southby | England | (2000-10-16) 16 October 2000 (age 23) | Right-handed | — | |
| – | Rachel King | England | (2004-10-01) 1 October 2004 (age 20) | Right-handed | — | |
| Bowlers |||||||
| 14 | Lauren Bell ‡ | England | (2001-01-02) 2 January 2001 (age 23) | Right-handed | Right-arm fast-medium | |
| 18 | Finty Trussler | England | (2003-05-08) 8 May 2003 (age 21) | Right-handed | Right-arm leg break | |
| 24 | Poppy Tulloch | England | (2006-04-12) 12 April 2006 (age 18) | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | |
| 25 | Nancy Harman | England | (1999-07-11) 11 July 1999 (age 25) | Right-handed | Right-arm leg break | |
| 26 | Charlotte Taylor | England | (1994-02-02) 2 February 1994 (age 30) | Right-handed | Right-arm off break | |
| 33 | Ava Lee | England | (2005-08-26) 26 August 2005 (age 19) | Right-handed | Right-arm off break | |
| 35 | Rebecca Tyson | England | (2000-06-26) 26 June 2000 (age 24) | Left-handed | Slow left-arm orthodox | |
| 50 | Linsey Smith ‡ | England | (1995-03-10) 10 March 1995 (age 29) | Left-handed | Slow left-arm orthodox | |
| 61 | Freya Davies ‡ | England | (1995-10-27) 27 October 1995 (age 28) | Right-handed | Right-arm fast-medium | |

### Academy

The Southern Vipers Academy team played against other regional academies in friendly and festival matches across various formats. The Academy selected players from across the Southern Vipers regional hub, and included some players who are also in the first team squad. Players in the 2023/24 Academy are listed below:
| Name | County |
| Caitlin Chissell | Hampshire |
| Daisy Gibb | Sussex |
| Rachel King | Hampshire |
| Ava Lee | Berkshire |
| Abi Norgrove | Oxfordshire |
| Eve O'Neill | Hampshire |
| Holly Rider | Berkshire |
| Pippa Sproul | Hampshire |
| Talitha Stanley | Hampshire |
| Megan Sturge | Kent |
| Millie Taylor | Sussex |
| Poppy Tulloch | Berkshire |

### Overseas players

* Suzie Bates – New Zealand (2016–2019)
* Sara McGlashan – New Zealand (2016)
* Morna Nielsen – New Zealand (2016)
* Hayley Matthews – West Indies (2017)
* Mignon du Preez – South Africa (2017–2018)
* Amelia Kerr – New Zealand (2018)
* Stafanie Taylor – West Indies (2019)
* Amanda-Jade Wellington – Australia (2019)
* Gaby Lewis – Ireland (2021)
* Nicole Faltum – Australia (2023)
* Maitlan Brown – Australia (2023)
* Charli Knott – Australia (2024)

## Coaching staff

* Head Coach: Charlotte Edwards
* Regional Director: Adam Carty
As of the 2024 season.

## Seasons
### Women's Cricket Super League

| Season | Final standing | League standings | League standings | League standings | League standings | League standings | League standings | League standings | League standings | League standings | Notes |
| Season | Final standing | P | W | L | T | NR | BP | Pts | NRR | Pos | Notes |
| 2016 | Champions | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 11 | +1.437 | 1st | Won against Western Storm in the final |
| 2017 | Runners-up | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 20 | +2.001 | 1st | Lost to Western Storm in the final |
| 2018 | Group stage | 10 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 10 | –0.490 | 6th | DNQ |
| 2019 | Runners-up | 10 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 20 | +0.425 | 3rd | Lost to Western Storm in the final |

### Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy

| Season | Final standing | League standings | League standings | League standings | League standings | League standings | League standings | League standings | League standings | League standings | Notes |
| Season | Final standing | P | W | L | T | NR | BP | Pts | NRR | Pos | Notes |
| 2020 | Champions | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 27 | +1.017 | 1st | Won against Northern Diamonds in the final |
| 2021 | Champions | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 27 | +0.417 | 1st | Won against Northern Diamonds in the final |
| 2022 | Runners-up | 7 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 24 | +0.762 | 3rd | Lost to Northern Diamonds in the final |
| 2023 | Champions | 14 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 38 | +0.457 | 1st | Won against The Blaze in the final |
| 2024 | Semi-finals | 14 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 34 | +0.534 | 3rd | Lost to South East Stars in the semi-finals |

### Charlotte Edwards Cup

| Season | Final standing | League standings | League standings | League standings | League standings | League standings | League standings | League standings | League standings | League standings | Notes |
| Season | Final standing | P | W | L | T | NR | BP | Pts | NRR | Pos | Notes |
| 2021 | Losing semi-finalists: 3rd | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 19 | +0.875 | 2nd | Lost to Northern Diamonds in the semi-final |
| 2022 | Champions | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 27 | +1.400 | 1st | Won against Central Sparks in the final |
| 2023 | Champions | 7 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 22 | +0.940 | 2nd | Won against The Blaze in the final |
| 2024 | Semi-finals | 10 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 26 | +1.001 | 3rd | Lost to South East Stars in the semi-finals |

## Statistics
### Women's Cricket Super League

Women's Cricket Super League - summary of results :
| Year | Played | Wins | Losses | Tied | NR | Win % |
| 2016 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 83.33 |
| 2017 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 66.66 |
| 2018 | 10 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 20.00 |
| 2019 | 12 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 41.66 |
| Total | 34 | 16 | 15 | 1 | 2 | 47.05 |
* Abandoned matches are counted as NR (no result)
* Win or loss by super over or boundary count are counted as tied.
Women's Cricket Super League - teamwise result summary :
| Opposition | Mat | Won | Lost | Tied | NR | Win % |
| Lancashire Thunder | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 50.00 |
| Loughborough Lightning | 7 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 57.14 |
| Surrey Stars | 6 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 50.00 |
| Western Storm | 9 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 22.22 |
| Yorkshire Diamonds | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 66.66 |

### Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy

Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy - summary of results :
| Year | Played | Wins | Losses | Tied | NR | Win % |
| 2020 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100.00 |
| 2021 | 8 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 87.50 |
| 2022 | 9 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 66.67 |
| 2023 | 15 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 53.33 |
| 2024 | 15 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 46.67 |
| Total | 54 | 35 | 14 | 1 | 4 | 64.81 |
* Abandoned matches are counted as NR (no result)
* Win or loss by super over or boundary count are counted as tied.
Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy - teamwise result summary :
| Opposition | Mat | Won | Lost | Tied | NR | Win % |
| Central Sparks | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 50.00 |
| Northern Diamonds | 9 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 55.55 |
| North West Thunder | 6 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 66.67 |
| South East Stars | 10 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 80.00 |
| Sunrisers | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 50.00 |
| The Blaze | 7 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 71.43 |
| Western Storm | 8 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 75.00 |

### Charlotte Edwards Cup

Charlotte Edwards Cup - summary of results :
| Year | Played | Wins | Losses | Tied | NR | Win % |
| 2021 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 57.14 |
| 2022 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100.00 |
| 2023 | 9 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 77.78 |
| 2024 | 11 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 54.54 |
| Total | 34 | 24 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 70.59 |
* Abandoned matches are counted as NR (no result)
* Win or loss by super over or boundary count are counted as tied.
Charlotte Edwards Cup - teamwise result summary :
| Opposition | Mat | Won | Lost | Tied | NR | Win % |
| Central Sparks | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 40.00 |
| Northern Diamonds | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 80.00 |
| North West Thunder | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100.00 |
| South East Stars | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 50.00 |
| Sunrisers | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 66.67 |
| The Blaze | 7 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 71.43 |
| Western Storm | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100.00 |

## Records
### Women's Cricket Super League

* Highest team total: 184/4, v Yorkshire Diamonds on 25 August 2019.
* Lowest team total: 91, v Western Storm on 31 July 2018.
* Highest individual score: 119*, Suzie Bates v Loughborough Lightning on 15 August 2017.
* Best individual bowling analysis: 4/10, Linsey Smith v Yorkshire Diamonds on 8 August 2016.
* Most runs: 983 in 33 matches, Suzie Bates.
* Most wickets: 35 wickets in 28 matches, Tash Farrant.

### Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy

* Highest team total: 309/9, v Sunrisers on 12 September 2021.
* Lowest (completed) team total: 104 v Central Sparks on 5 June 2021.
* Highest individual score: 154*, Georgia Adams v Western Storm on 13 September 2020.
* Best individual bowling analysis: 6/34, Charlotte Taylor v Northern Diamonds on 27 September 2020.
* Most runs: 1,859 runs in 49 matches, Georgia Adams.
* Most wickets: 71 wickets in 49 matches, Georgia Adams.

### Charlotte Edwards Cup

* Highest team total: 191/6, v North West Thunder on 10 June 2023.
* Lowest (completed) team total: 98 v Central Sparks on 16 June 2024.
* Highest individual score: 93, Maia Bouchier v South East Stars on 19 June 2024.
* Best individual bowling analysis: 5/19, Charlie Dean v Central Sparks on 26 June 2021.
* Most runs: 822 runs in 33 matches, Georgia Adams.
* Most wickets: 36 wickets in 20 matches, Charlie Dean.

## Honours

* Women's Cricket Super League:
** Champions (1) – 2016
* Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy:
** Champions (3) – 2020, 2021 & 2023
* Charlotte Edwards Cup:
** Champions (2) – 2022 & 2023