| Dates | 29 May 2021 – 25 September 2021 |
|---|---|
| Administrator(s) | England and Wales Cricket Board |
| Cricket format | 50-over cricket |
| Tournament format(s) | Round-robin and playoffs |
| Champions | Southern Vipers (2nd title) |
| Participants | 8 |
| Matches | 30 |
| Most runs | Sophie Luff (417) |
| Most wickets | Kirstie Gordon (16) |
| Official website | ECB |
The 2021 Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy was the second edition of the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, an English women's cricket 50-over domestic competition, which took place between 29 May and 25 September 2021. It featured eight teams playing in a round-robin group, followed by a knock-out round. The holders were the Southern Vipers, who won the inaugural competition in 2020. It ran alongside the Charlotte Edwards Cup. The tournament was named after former England captain Rachael Heyhoe Flint, Baroness Heyhoe-Flint, who died in 2017.[1]
Southern Vipers finished top of the group stage, and as a result, they qualified automatically for the final. Northern Diamonds and Central Sparks finished second and third respectively, and so contested the playoff, which was won by the Diamonds to qualify for the final. In the final at the County Ground, Northampton, Southern Vipers won their second Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy in two years, beating Northern Diamonds by 3 wickets with 2 balls to spare.
Background and format
The Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy was a 50-over cricket tournament created in 2020 so that English women's cricket could be played in spite of the COVID-19 pandemic.[2] A full season was scheduled for 2021, and, due to the popularity of the decision to name the trophy after Rachael Heyhoe Flint, the name was retained.[1] The fixtures took place in two blocks, with the inaugural Charlotte Edwards Cup and The Hundred taking place in between.[3]
The competition featured eight teams that represent regional hubs. Teams played each other once in a group of eight, with the top three qualifying for the knock-out stage. The second-placed team played the third-placed team on the 22 September, with the winner advancing to play the first-placed team in the Final on the 25 September.[4] The Final was played at the County Cricket Ground, Northampton.[5]
Teams
The teams were as follows:[4]
- Central Sparks (representing Warwickshire, Worcestershire, Herefordshire, Shropshire and Staffordshire)
- Lightning (representing Loughborough University, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire)
- 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)
- 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 would be 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.[4]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | T | NR | BP | Pts | NRR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Southern Vipers (Q) | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 27 | 0.417 |
| 2 | Northern Diamonds (Q) | 7 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 23 | 1.182 |
| 3 | Central Sparks (Q) | 7 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 22 | 0.822 |
| 4 | Lightning | 7 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 13 | 0.274 |
| 5 | South East Stars | 7 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 13 | −0.226 |
| 6 | Western Storm | 7 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 13 | −0.462 |
| 7 | North West Thunder | 7 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 13 | −0.620 |
| 8 | Sunrisers | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −1.598 |
Group stage
Source:[3]
Northern Diamonds 279 (49.2 overs) |
v |
Central Sparks 283/8 (48.2 overs) |
- Central Sparks won the toss and elected to field.
- Points: Central Sparks 4, Northern Diamonds 0
North West Thunder 291/8 (50 overs) |
v |
Western Storm 295/9 (50 overs) |
- Western Storm won the toss and elected to field.
- Points: Western Storm 4, North West Thunder 0
South East Stars 324/7 (50 overs) |
v |
Sunrisers 189 (39.2 overs) |
- Sunrisers won the toss and elected to field.
- Points: South East Stars 5, Sunrisers 0
Lightning 214/9 (50 overs) |
v |
Southern Vipers 215/6 (46.5 overs) |
- Lightning won the toss and elected to bat.
- Points: Southern Vipers 4, Lightning 0
Northern Diamonds 151 (45.5 overs) |
v |
Lightning 145 (48.1 overs) |
- Lightning won the toss and elected to field.
- Points: Northern Diamonds 4, Lightning 0
Central Sparks 295/7 (50 overs) |
v |
Western Storm 254/9 (50 overs) |
- Western Storm won the toss and elected to field.
- Points: Central Sparks 4, Western Storm 0
South East Stars 137 (39.5 overs) |
v |
Southern Vipers 138/3 (28.4 overs) |
- Southern Vipers won the toss and elected to field.
- Points: Southern Vipers 5, South East Stars 0
North West Thunder 247/9 (50 overs) |
v |
Sunrisers 211 (45.2 overs) |
- North West Thunder won the toss and elected to bat.
- Points: North West Thunder 4, Sunrisers 0
- Sonali Patel (Sunrisers) took a hat-trick.
Western Storm 245/8 (50 overs) |
v |
South East Stars 249/4 (43.1 overs) |
- South East Stars won the toss and elected to field.
- Points: South East Stars 4, Western Storm 0
Sunrisers 53 (29.1 overs) |
v |
Northern Diamonds 54/1 (7.4 overs) |
- Northern Diamonds won the toss and elected to field.
- Points: Northern Diamonds 5, Sunrisers 0
Central Sparks 224 (49.2 overs) |
v |
Southern Vipers 104 (27.5 overs) |
- Central Sparks won the toss and elected to bat.
- Points: Central Sparks 5, Southern Vipers 0
- Emily Arlott (Central Sparks) took a hat-trick.
Lightning 259/5 (50 overs) |
v |
North West Thunder 125 (39.2 overs) |
- Lightning won the toss and elected to bat.
- Points: Lightning 5, North West Thunder 0
South East Stars 250/6 (50 overs) |
v |
Northern Diamonds 254/7 (49.2 overs) |
- South East Stars won the toss and elected to bat.
- Points: Northern Diamonds 4, South East Stars 0
Sunrisers 206/9 (50 overs) |
v |
Lightning 210/5 (40.2 overs) |
- Sunrisers won the toss and elected to bat.
- Points: Lightning 4, Sunrisers 0
Central Sparks 203 (49.5 overs) |
v |
North West Thunder 205/8 (48 overs) |
- Central Sparks won the toss and elected to bat.
- Points: North West Thunder 4, Central Sparks 0
Western Storm 177 (49.3 overs) |
v |
Southern Vipers 178/2 (34.5 overs) |
- Western Storm won the toss and elected to bat.
- Points: Southern Vipers 5, Western Storm 0
Western Storm 183 (38.1 overs) |
v |
Northern Diamonds 184/3 (31.1 overs) |
- Northern Diamonds won the toss and elected to field.
- Points: Northern Diamonds 5, Western Storm 0
South East Stars 293/9 (50 overs) |
v |
Lightning 265 (49.2 overs) |
- South East Stars won the toss and elected to bat.
- Points: South East Stars 4, Lightning 0
Sunrisers 204/7 (42 overs) |
v |
Central Sparks 208/4 (37.2 overs) |
- Central Sparks won the toss and elected to field.
- Central Sparks were set a revised target of 206 runs from 42 overs due to rain.
- Points: Central Sparks 4, Sunrisers 0
North West Thunder 110 (32.5 overs) |
v |
Southern Vipers 112/7 (33.5 overs) |
- Southern Vipers won the toss and elected to field.
- Points: Southern Vipers 5, North West Thunder 0
Northern Diamonds 294/6 (50 overs) |
v |
North West Thunder 189/8 (50 overs) |
- North West Thunder won the toss and elected to field.
- Points: Northern Diamonds 5, North West Thunder 0
Central Sparks 229 (49.1 overs) |
v |
South East Stars 114 (31.3 overs) |
- Central Sparks won the toss and elected to bat.
- Points: Central Sparks 5, South East Stars 0
Western Storm 228/7 (50 overs) |
v |
Lightning 166 (41.2 overs) |
- Lightning won the toss and elected to field.
- Points: Western Storm 5, Lightning 0
Southern Vipers 309/9 (50 overs) |
v |
Sunrisers 308/6 (50 overs) |
- Sunrisers won the toss and elected to field.
- Points: Southern Vipers 4, Sunrisers 0
Lightning 320/6 (50 overs) |
v |
Central Sparks 296/9 (50 overs) |
- Central Sparks won the toss and elected to field.
- Points: Lightning 4, Central Sparks 0
North West Thunder 185 (47 overs) |
v |
South East Stars 130 (35 overs) |
- North West Thunder won the toss and elected to bat.
- Points: North West Thunder 5, South East Stars 0
Western Storm 313/4 (50 overs) |
v |
Sunrisers 277 (44.3 overs) |
- Western Storm won the toss and elected to bat.
- Points: Western Storm 4, Sunrisers 0
Northern Diamonds 256 (48.3 overs) |
v |
Southern Vipers 260/5 (48.5 overs) |
- Northern Diamonds won the toss and elected to bat.
- Points: Southern Vipers 4, Northern Diamonds 0
Play-off
Northern Diamonds and Central Sparks finished second and third respectively in the group stage, and so contested the playoff.[7]
| Play-off | Final | ||||||||
| 1 | Southern Vipers | 187/7 | |||||||
| 2 | Northern Diamonds | 176/4 | 2 | Northern Diamonds | 183 | ||||
| 3 | Central Sparks | 175/7 | |||||||
Central Sparks 175/7 (50 overs) |
v |
Northern Diamonds 176/4 (32.5 overs) |
- Central Sparks won the toss and elected to bat.
Final
Southern Vipers finished top of the group stage, and as a result, they qualified automatically for the final.[7]
Northern Diamonds 183 (49.2 overs) |
v |
Southern Vipers 187/7 (49.4 overs) |
- Northern Diamonds won the toss and elected to bat.
Statistics
- Highest score by a team: South East Stars – 324/7 (50 overs) v Sunrisers (29 May).[8]
- Top score by an individual: Amy Jones – 163* (114) v Western Storm (31 May).[9]
- Best bowling figures by an individual: Emily Arlott – 5/29 (8 overs) v Southern Vipers (5 June).[10]
Most runs
| Player | Team | Matches | Innings | Runs | Average | HS | 100s | 50s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sophie Luff | Western Storm | 7 | 7 | 417 | 69.50 | 157* | 1 | 3 |
| Kathryn Bryce | Lightning | 7 | 7 | 353 | 50.42 | 162 | 1 | 2 |
| Evelyn Jones | Central Sparks | 8 | 8 | 299 | 42.71 | 100* | 1 | 2 |
| Sterre Kalis | Northern Diamonds | 9 | 8 | 290 | 41.42 | 76 | 0 | 2 |
| Amy Jones | Central Sparks | 3 | 3 | 282 | 141.00 | 163* | 2 | 0 |
Source: ESPNCricinfo[11]
Most wickets
| Player | Team | Overs | Wickets | Average | BBI | 5w |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kirstie Gordon | Lightning | 70.0 | 16 | 15.43 | 4/23 | 0 |
| Hannah Jones | North West Thunder | 50.0 | 14 | 17.07 | 5/33 | 1 |
| Issy Wong | Central Sparks | 63.5 | 14 | 21.35 | 5/49 | 1 |
| Charlotte Taylor | Southern Vipers | 72.0 | 13 | 18.15 | 4/21 | 0 |
| Beth Langston | Northern Diamonds | 73.5 | 13 | 20.69 | 2/12 | 0 |
Source: ESPNCricinfo[12]
References
- 1 2 "Women's domestic fixtures announced: Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy returns alongside new Regional T20 competition". England and Wales Cricket Board. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
- ↑ "Women's cricket: Domestic 50-over competition named Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy". BBC Sport. 11 August 2020. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
- 1 2 "Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy Fixtures". England and Wales Cricket Board. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
- 1 2 3 "Playing Conditions - Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy" (PDF). England and Wales Cricket Board. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
- ↑ "Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy final bound for Northamptonshire". The Cricketer. 24 August 2021. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
- ↑ "Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy 2021/Table". ESPNCricinfo. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
- 1 2 "Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy: Southern Vipers into final after topping group". Sky Sports. 18 September 2021. Retrieved 18 September 2021.
- ↑ "Records/Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, 2021/Highest Totals". ESPNCricinfo. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
- ↑ "Records/Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, 2021/Highest Scores". ESPNCricinfo. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
- ↑ "Records/Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, 2021/Best Bowling Figures in an Innings". ESPNCricinfo. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
- ↑ "Records/Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, 2021/Most Runs". ESPNCricinfo. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
- ↑ "Records/Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, 2021/Most Wickets". ESPNCricinfo. Retrieved 25 September 2021.