Rachael Heyhoe Flint 2022: 2nd
Charlotte Edwards Cup 2022: 1st
Most Runs RHFT: Emily Windsor (261) Most Runs CEC: Danni Wyatt (221)
Most Wickets RHFT: Tara Norris (12) Most Wickets CEC: Charlie Dean (12)
New Signings: Linsey Smith (Domestic Contract)
New Domestic Contracts: Georgia Elwiss (Previously Centrally Contracted), Ella McCaughan, Emily Windsor
Departed Players: Paige Scholfield, Tara Norris
Star Player: Emily Windsor
Young Player: Ella McCaughan
'Beware the Vipers’. Really? The stats say so. Southern Vipers have had an 100%-win rate in the 2020 edition of the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy and the 2022 Charlotte Edwards Cup. Their win rate has never fallen below 50% and they have won three trophies since the new regional system came in.
The one achievement that Charlotte Edwards’ side have failed to do is the double. Each year, it has either been the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy or the Charlotte Edwards Cup – never both. Edwards is always hungry for trophies, recent leading the Mumbai Indians to the inaugural Women’s Premier League title.
After the misery of losing to the Northern Diamonds, Southern Vipers broke the hearts of Diamonds fans when they announced the signing of Linsey Smith. Smith had been a vital player for the Diamonds, but it was a welcome home for the leg-spinner as she had played for the Vipers during the Kia Super League.
Smith was the leading wicket taker in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy so what Diamonds will really miss, the Vipers have gained.
Tara Norris and Paige Scholfield departed from the Vipers, heading to Thunder and the South East Stars.
Emily Windsor has been one of domestic cricket’s most valuable players in recent years. She got her team over the line, hitting the winning runs in the Hundred final and did the same in the 2021 edition of the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy.
At the start of the season, Windsor struggled for a place in Vipers’ experienced side. However, throughout the season, she put in top performances, including two half-centuries and earned herself a professional contract.
Windsor not only excels on the pitch but is also a familiar voice around the Ageas Bowl.
She’s become a regular part of Test Match Special’s commentary team, starting out on BBC Radio Solent. “I think it was 2018 when Hampshire Women won the County Championship” she says, telling us where it all started. “Kev James who's at BBC Radio Solent, wanted someone in the women's county team to just come on and talk about the success we had.”
“I thought he would just ask me a couple of questions and about halfway through he was like, ‘do you want to try commentating on this ball’. Hampshire just kept getting wickets when I was on air so the Hampshire fans and all the listeners really liked me being on.”
Shining a light on the next generation, Ella McCaughan has thrived, making her way from the Sussex pathway into the Vipers set up. Last season was a turning point in McCaughan’s career as she became a regular for the Vipers and had some strong individual performances, including her highest List A score of 72.
The 20-year-old was instrumental in helping her side to the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Final, creating a 98-run opening partnership with Maia Bouchier against the South East Stars. Finishing on 30*, McCaughan also got her team over the line against Central Sparks in the Charlotte Edwards Cup, smashing a four.
Even though she has been selected for the Southern Brave in both editions of the Hundred, she has not yet played a game but will look to impress in the first part of the season to better her chances of featuring on the big stage.
At the end of the season, it was announced that Ella, too, had signed a professional contract with the Southern Vipers. She joins a wealth of experienced batters in the powerhouse professional set up in Hampshire.
What will the Southern Vipers want?
Win, win, win. Losing is rarely an option for the Vipers and they will be gutted that the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy is now in Leeds rather than Southampton. Charlotte Edwards will want to keep driving the standards and try and do the double for the first time.
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