Southern Vipers launch new fifty-over competition featuring six counties

The tournament will be played in a round robin format between Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Dorset, Hampshire, Oxfordshire, and Sussex. The competition will also acknowledge the players who will stand out from the rest. The initiative is being deemed as highly productive as it will give rise to an advanced set of competition among the selected 72 players across the six consortium counties.

It will be a wonderful opportunity for the 72 players to come up the ranks as they play at a lower level as compared to the ones who represent Southern Vipers in the Charlotte Edwards Cup (CE Cup) and Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy (RHF Trophy). Vipers are the reigning RHF Trophy having defended their title during the 2021 season after winning it during the inaugural edition.

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Former England skipper and the incumbent Head Coach of Southern Vipers Charlotte Edwards believes that the brand new competition will give the selected pool of players an opportunity to test themselves more. She feels that it will give rise to the fight for the places that are up for grabs.

"Six of the consortium counties will play in the South Central cup. Basically for us it's just to have another layer of cricket for those players to play in, competitive cricket, and for me as Head Coach to have more competition for places," said Edwards.

"It's a great opportunity for the 72 players that have been selected. They can put their hands up for a potential Viper recognition which is a great position to be in."

Adam Carty, Regional Director of Women’s Cricket for the South Central Region, feels that the tournament will provide a platform to help the selected players make a name for themselves.

“To provide a competitive platform for players who could potentially otherwise go under the radar and to give them the opportunity to demonstrate their skills on a meaningful stage is a progressive step," said Carty.

Vipers will provide the financial aid to run the program. This financial support will provide match balls, trophies, umpires among others. The tournament will be promoted through the social media profiles of the Southern Vipers and some of the games will be live streamed as well.