Rachael Heyhoe-Flint Trophy
The Rachael Heyhoe-Flint Trophy is an upcoming English women's cricket domestic competition, which will run between 29 August and 26 September 2020. It will feature eight teams in two groups, and have a final. The tournament is named after former England captain Rachael Heyhoe Flint, Baroness Heyhoe-Flint, who died in 2017.
| Dates | 29 August 2020 – 26 September 2020 |
|---|---|
| Administrator(s) | England and Wales Cricket Board |
| Cricket format | 50-over cricket |
| Tournament format(s) | Round robin and final |
| Participants | 8 |
| Matches played | 25 |
| Official website | ecb.co.uk |
Background and format
The Rachael Heyhoe-Flint Trophy is a 50-over cricket tournament created in 2020 so that English women's cricket can be played in spite of the COVID-19 pandemic.[1][2] The competition is expected to be a one-off event for 2020, with a new women's 50-over competition launched for 2021.[3] All matches are expected to take place behind closed doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[4] The England and Wales Cricket Board aim to make the matches available to watch online.[4] The competition is named after former England captain Rachael Heyhoe Flint, Baroness Heyhoe-Flint, who died in 2017.[1]
The competition will feature eight teams, who represent regional hubs,[1][2] which were formed during an overhaul of the English women's domestic cricket structure.[5] The teams will be separated into a North and South Group, and each team will play six group stage matches, in a double round-robin format. The two group winners will play each other in the competition's final.[2][6] The competition will begin on 29 August, and end with the final on 26 September.[2][6]
Teams
The teams are as follows:[6][3]
- North Group
- 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)
- Thunder (representing Lancashire, Cheshire, and Cumbria)
- South Group
- 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)
Each team will have a squad of 15 players, and players on England central contracts will be available for the competition.[2] Each team is expected to have four or five centrally contracted players.[7] All players will be paid for participating in the competitions, excluding those already on central contracts.[3]
Southern Vipers were the first team to announce their squad. Their centrally contracted players are Lauren Bell, Georgia Adams, Tara Norris, and Paige Schofield.[8] Northern Diamonds have also announced their squad, which includes former England international Jenny Gunn and Dutch international Sterre Kalis. Their centrally contracted players are Hollie Armitage and Beth Langston.[9]
Fixtures
The fixture list was compiled so that every team plays twice on the August Bank Holiday weekend.[4]
Source:[10]
North Group
South Group
Final
26 September 2020 TBC |
TBC |
v |
TBC |
See also
References
- "Women's cricket: Domestic 50-over competition named Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy". BBC Sport. 11 August 2020. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
- "Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy: The special-edition 50-over competition explained". The Cricketer. 11 August 2020. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
- "Women's domestic cricket to return in August with Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy". The Daily Telegraph. 11 August 2020. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
- "Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy will begin on August 29, ECB announce". The Cricketer. 12 August 2020. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
- "ECB announces women's 50-over tournament will be called Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy this summer". Sky Sports. 11 August 2020. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
- "Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy: Finals Day on 26 September, venue to be decided". BBC Sport. 12 August 2020. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
- "New women's 50-over tournament named in honour of Rachael Heyhoe Flint". The Times. 11 August 2020. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
- "Southern Vipers Announce Their Squad for the Rachael Heyhoe-Flint Trophy". Women's CricZone. 14 August 2020. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
- "Northern Diamonds Announce Their Squad for the Rachael Heyhoe-Flint Trophy". Women's CricZone. 14 August 2020. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
- "Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy fixtures 2020: Full schedule, dates". The Cricketer. 12 August 2020. Retrieved 18 August 2020.