The Southern Vipers are a women's cricket team that represent the South of England. The Vipers wear an orange and black kit and play their home matches at the Ageas Bowl and the County Cricket Ground, Hove.[1][2]
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.[5] 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 the Northern Diamonds in the final both times.[6][7][8]
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.[9] In their inaugural season, they topped the group stage, winning four of their five games, progressing straight to the final.[10] In the final, the Vipers faced Western Storm, who they beat by 7 wickets to claim the inaugural WCSL title.[11]
2017 saw continued success for Southern Vipers, as they again topped the group stage, with four wins.[12] 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.[13] The Vipers were unable to replicate their form in 2018, finishing bottom of the group, with just two wins from ten games.[14]
In 2019 Women's Cricket Super League, however, Southern Vipers competed in their third Finals Day after qualifying third in the group, with four wins and a tie.[15] After beating Loughborough Lightning in the semi-final, the Vipers again faced Western Storm in the final.[16]Danni Wyatt's 73 helped Southern Vipers to 172/7 batting first, but Storm chased down the target with one over to spare.[17] Wyatt ended the tournament as the leading run-scorer and Player of the Tournament.[18]
2020– : 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.[19] 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.[20] 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.[21] 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.[22] Adams and Taylor were the leading run-scorer and wicket-taker in the tournament, respectively.[23][24] 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.[25]
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.[26] However, they lost to Northern Diamonds in the semi-final, being bowled out for 117 in response to the Diamonds' 135/6.[27] In the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, Southern Vipers progressed directly to the final after topping the group, winning six of their seven matches.[28] 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.[29]
The Southern Vipers Academy team plays against other regional academies in friendly and festival matches across various formats. The Academy selects players from across the Southern Vipers regional hub, and includes some players who are also in the first team squad. Players in the 2022 Academy are listed below:[31][32]
denotes players with international caps.
England
Ireland
United States
Suzie Bates – New Zealand (2016–2019)
Hayley Matthews – West Indies (2017)
Mignon du Preez – South Africa (2017–2018)
Amanda-Jade Wellington – Australia (2019)
Gaby Lewis – Ireland (2021)
