The 2023 Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy was the fourth edition of the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, an English women's cricket 50-over domestic competition, which took place between 22 April and 24 September 2023. It featured eight teams playing in a double round-robin group stage, followed by a knock-out round. It ran alongside the Charlotte Edwards Cup. Northern Diamonds were the defending champions.
Southern Vipers won the tournament, their third Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy title, beating The Blaze in the final.
Format Teams played each other twice in a group of eight, with the top three qualifying for the knock-out stage. This represented a doubling of group stage matches from the previous season, which saw teams play each other once. The second-placed team in the group played the third-placed team in a play-off, with the winner advancing to play the first-placed team in the final. The final was held at the County Ground, Northampton.
Teams The teams that competed in the tournament are listed below. The Blaze changed their name prior to the 2023 season, having previously been known as Lightning. Central Sparks (representing Warwickshire, Worcestershire, Herefordshire, Shropshire and Staffordshire) Northern Diamonds (representing Yorkshire, Durham and Northumberland) North West Thunder (representing Lancashire, Cheshire and Cumbria) South East Stars (representing Surrey and Kent) Southern Vipers (representing Hampshire, Sussex, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Dorset, Isle of Wight and Oxfordshire) Sunrisers (representing Middlesex, Essex, Northamptonshire, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire, Huntingdonshire, Norfolk and Suffolk) The Blaze (representing Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire) Western Storm (representing Glamorgan, Gloucestershire, Somerset, Cornwall, Devon, Wiltshire and Cricket Wales)
Standings Teams received 4 points for a win. A bonus point was given where the winning team's run rate was 1.25 or greater times that of the opposition. In case of a tie in the standings, the following tiebreakers were 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.
advanced to the Final. advanced to the Play-off.
Fixtures Group stage
Source:
Play-off
Final
Statistics Highest score by a team: South East Stars – 334/5 (50 overs) v North West Thunder (22 April). Top score by an individual: Paige Scholfield – 134* (109) v Western Storm (1 May). Best bowling figures by an individual: Nadine de Klerk – 7/33 (9.1 overs) v Northern Diamonds (6 May).
Most runs Player Team Matches Innings Runs Average 100s 50sLauren Winfield-HillNorthern Diamonds141466351.00116*15Georgia AdamsSouthern Vipers131254649.6394*05Evelyn JonesCentral Sparks131244044.0084*04Paige ScholfieldSouthern Vipers141343939.90134*21Emily WindsorSouthern Vipers121140845.338404 Source: ESPNCricinfo
Most wickets Player Team Overs Wickets Average BBI 5wGeorgia DavisCentral Sparks99.42714.774/190Katie LevickNorthern Diamonds99.02418.124/280Danielle GregorySouth East Stars74.02117.804/120Georgia AdamsSouthern Vipers110.02024.154/300Linsey SmithSouthern Vipers111.01919.943/290 Source: ESPNCricinfo
References
External links Tournament home at ESPNcricinfo