Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy
Countries | England Wales |
---|---|
Administrator | ECB |
Format | 50-over cricket |
First edition | 2020 |
Latest edition | 2021 |
Tournament format | Group stage and knockout |
Number of teams | 8 |
Current champion | Southern Vipers (1st title) |
Most successful | Southern Vipers (1 title) |
TV | Sky Sports |
2021 Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy |
The Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy is an English women's cricket domestic competition, named after former England captain Rachael Heyhoe Flint, Baroness Heyhoe-Flint, who died in 2017.[1] The first edition of the tournament took place during August and September 2020, with the Southern Vipers beating the Northern Diamonds in the final.[2] Initially started as a one-off tournament, in February 2021 the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) announced it would return for the 2021 season.[3]
History[]
In 2018, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) announced the launch of The Hundred in 2020, which would supersede the existing premier women's cricket tournament, the Women's Cricket Super League. To go alongside The Hundred, the ECB announced a plan to launch a new 'regional elite domestic structure for women's cricket', which would include the awarding of 40 new full-time professional contracts for non-England players.[4][5]
These plans were put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy was eventually scheduled to begin in August 2020, with six new teams competing, alongside two teams carried over from the WCSL, Western Storm and Southern Vipers. The trophy was named after former England player Rachael Heyhoe Flint, and was intended to be a one-off, in light of the pandemic.[6][1]
Southern Vipers were the inaugural champions of the tournament, beating Northern Diamonds in the final.[2]
In February 2021, the ECB announced that the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy would continue for the following season, alongside a new Regional T20 competition, with a slightly altered format.[3]
Teams[]
The teams for the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy are as follows:[6][7]
Team | County partners | Home grounds | Captain | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Central Sparks | Evelyn Jones | |||
Lightning | Kathryn Bryce | |||
Northern Diamonds | Hollie Armitage | |||
North West Thunder | Alex Hartley | |||
South East Stars |
|
Tash Farrant | ||
Southern Vipers |
|
Georgia Adams | ||
Sunrisers | Amara Carr | |||
Western Storm | Sophie Luff |
Competition format[]
In the 2020 season, the teams were separated into a North and South Group, and each team played six group stage matches, in a double round-robin format. The two group winners played each other in the competition's final.[8][6] In the 2021 season, the eight teams will play each other once in a round-robin format. The second and third placed teams will compete in a playoff, the winner of which will play in the final against the first placed team.[3][9]
Teams receive 4 points for a win. A bonus point is given where the winning team's run rate is 1.25 or greater times that of the opposition. In case of a tie in the standings, the following tiebreakers are applied in order: highest net run rate, team that scored the most points in matches involving the tied parties, better bowling strike rate, drawing of lots.[10]
Tournament results[]
Season | Winner | Runners-up | Final Venue | Player (club) | Runs | Player (club) | Wickets | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Leading run-scorer | Leading wicket-taker | |||||||
2020 | Southern Vipers | Northern Diamonds | Edgbaston, Birmingham | Georgia Adams (Southern Vipers) | 500 | Charlotte Taylor (Southern Vipers) | 15 | [11][12] |
References[]
- ^ Jump up to: a b "ECB names new women's domestic competition after Rachael Heyhoe Flint". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "Charlotte Taylor spins Southern Vipers to victory on back of Georgia Adams' 80". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c "Women's cricket: Domestic fixtures confirmed for 2021 season". BBC Sport. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
- ^ "Women's Super League kicks off … before all six teams are kicked out". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 February 2021.
- ^ "ECB confirm 40 additional professional contracts for women's cricket". Wisden. Retrieved 24 February 2021.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c "Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy: Finals Day on 26 September, venue to be decided". BBC Sport. 12 August 2020. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
- ^ "Women's domestic cricket to return in August with Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy". The Daily Telegraph. 11 August 2020. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
- ^ "Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy: The special-edition 50-over competition explained". The Cricketer. 11 August 2020. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
- ^ "Expanded Rachael Heyhoe Flint trophy to return for 2021, with regional T20 competition also lined up". The Daily Telegraph. 18 February 2021. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
- ^ "Playing Conditions – The Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy" (PDF) (pdf). England and Wales Cricket Board. 20 August 2020. p. 15. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
- ^ "RECORDS / RACHAEL HEYHOE FLINT TROPHY, 2020 / Most Runs". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 24 February 2021.
- ^ "RECORDS / RACHAEL HEYHOE FLINT TROPHY, 2020 / Most Wickets". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 24 February 2021.
- Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy
- Women's cricket competitions in England
- English domestic cricket competitions
- 2020 establishments in England
- Women's sports leagues in England
- Sports leagues established in 2020
- Cricket competition stubs