Preview: Southern Vipers vs Central Sparks (Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy)
Sparks are set to travel for the first time this season as they take on the Southern Vipers at Wormsley Cricket Club in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy.
Match Details:
Game: Southern Vipers vs Central Sparks
Date: Wednesday 24 April
Start time: 10:30am
Venue: Sir Paul Getty’s Ground (Wormsley Cricket Club)
Competition: Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy
After an opening game win over The Blaze, Lloyd Tennant’s side face an away trip against last year’s competition winners Southern Vipers, who came up short against the South East Stars last time out.
The same fixture as last season, Wormsley Cricket Club played as host for Sparks’ designated home game with the Vipers last season, with it being the Vipers hosting this time round.
It was a win by 78 runs for Sparks at Edgbaston last Saturday, while the Vipers were defeated by four wickets at Beckhenham. In the game against Blaze, Sparks bowler Em Arlott was a standout performer with bowling figures of (2-5). Abbey Freeborn also impressed with a half-century.
Freya Kemp hit (50) for Vipers in their loss at the hands of Stars, while Georgia Elwiss scored (44) and there were two wickets each for Charli Knott and Georgia Adams.
Wormsley played host to a good game between the two sides in 2023, let’s hope for the same this time round as Sparks will look to go back to back at the start of the season.
The Opposition:
Since their founding in 2016, the Vipers, coached by Charlotte Edwards have taken home five trophies, three in the RHFT and two in the CEC. With England players in the ranks such as, Charlie Dean, Danni Wyatt & Lauren Bell, Vipers are always a tough opponent but their young talent in the squad is equally as impressive with the likes of Ella McCaughan, Freya Kemp & Mary Taylor.
After beating The Blaze in last year’s 50 over final, Vipers will want to right the wrongs of last weekend and kickstart their season, but Tennant’s side will be there to hopefully stop them after being able to do so twice in 2023.
Past Meeting:
The last time the teams met was in the Charlotte Edwards Cup back in June at Edgbaston which ended in a 7-run win for Sparks. Before that, Sparks defeated Vipers in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy at Hove. The other game between the two sides in 2023 was in fact at Wormsley, where Wednesday’s hosts came out on top by three wickets.
Team News:
Both squads will be released later Tuesday, with Sparks having the same players available as they did for last Saturday’s season opener.
How to watch:
The game will be available on a live stream through Southern Vipers’ YouTube channel where a link will be shared on our social media pages before and during the game.