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The 2023 Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy was the fourth edition of the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, an English women's cricket 50-over domestic competition, which took place between 22 April and 24 September 2023. It featured eight teams playing in a double round-robin group stage, followed by a knock-out round. It ran alongside the Charlotte Edwards Cup. Northern Diamonds were the defending champions.

Southern Vipers won the tournament, their third Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy title, beating The Blaze in the final.

Format

Teams played each other twice in a group of eight, with the top three qualifying for the knock-out stage. This represented a doubling of group stage matches from the previous season, which saw teams play each other once. The second-placed team in the group played the third-placed team in a play-off, with the winner advancing to play the first-placed team in the final. The final was held at the County Ground, Northampton.

Teams

The teams that competed in the tournament are listed below. The Blaze changed their name prior to the 2023 season, having previously been known as Lightning.

• Central Sparks (representing Warwickshire, Worcestershire, Herefordshire, Shropshire and Staffordshire)
• 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)
• The Blaze (representing Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire)
• 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 were 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.

  advanced to the Final.
  advanced to the Play-off.

Fixtures

Group stage

Source:

• Western Storm won the toss and elected to field.
• Match reduced to 36 overs per side due to rain.
• Points: Northern Diamonds 5, Western Storm 0

• Sunrisers won the toss and elected to bat.
• Abtaha Maqsood (Sunrisers) took her first five-wicket haul in Women's List A cricket.
• Points: Sunrisers 5, Southern Vipers 0

• The Blaze won the toss and elected to bat.
• Lucy Higham (The Blaze) took her first five-wicket haul in Women's List A cricket.
• Points: The Blaze 5, Central Sparks 0

• South East Stars won the toss and elected to bat.
• Paige Scholfield (South East Stars) scored her first century in Women's List A cricket.
• South East Stars' total of 334 equalled the record for the highest total in an innings in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy.
• Points: South East Stars 5, North West Thunder 0

• Central Sparks won the toss and elected to field.
• Points: Central Sparks 5, Northern Diamonds 0

• Southern Vipers won the toss and elected to bat.
• Points: Southern Vipers 5, South East Stars 0

• Sunrisers won the toss and elected to bat.
• Points: The Blaze 5, Sunrisers 0

• North West Thunder won the toss and elected to bat.
• Points: Western Storm 4, North West Thunder 0

• Southern Vipers won the toss and elected to field.
• Points: Southern Vipers 4, Central Sparks 0

• Sunrisers won the toss and elected to bat.
• Points: Northern Diamonds 5, Sunrisers 0

• No toss.
• No play was possible due to rain.
• Points: The Blaze 2, North West Thunder 2

• South East Stars won the toss and elected to bat.
• Points: South East Stars 5, Western Storm 0

• Sunrisers won the toss and elected to field.
• Match reduced to 29 overs per side due to rain.
• Sunrisers were given a revised target of 156 runs off 29 overs.
• Points: South East Stars 5, Sunrisers 0

• The Blaze won the toss and elected to field.
• Points: The Blaze 5, Northern Diamonds 0

• No toss.
• No play was possible due to rain.
• Points: Southern Vipers 2, Western Storm 2

• Central Sparks won the toss and elected to field.
• Central Sparks were set a revised target of 224 runs from 45 overs due to rain.
• Points: Central Sparks 2, North West Thunder 2

• Northern Diamonds won the toss and elected to field.
• Northern Diamonds were set a revised target of 178 runs from 36 overs due to rain.
• Points: Northern Diamonds 5, South East Stars 0

• Central Sparks won the toss and elected to field.
• Points: Central Sparks 4, Southern Vipers 0

• Western Storm won the toss and elected to field.
• No further play was possible due to rain.
• Points: The Blaze 2, Western Storm 2

• Sunrisers won the toss and elected to field.
• Match reduced to 34 overs per side due to rain.
• No further play was possible due to rain.
• Points: North West Thunder 2, Sunrisers 2

• North West Thunder won the toss and elected to field.
• Points: Central Sparks 4, North West Thunder 0

• South East Stars won the toss and elected to bat.
• Points: Northern Diamonds 5, South East Stars 0

• Sunrisers won the toss and elected to bat.
• Points: Sunrisers 4, Southern Vipers 0

• Western Storm won the toss and elected to field.
• Points: The Blaze 4, Western Storm 0

• Central Sparks won the toss and elected to bat.
• Points: Central Sparks 4, South East Stars 0

• Northern Diamonds won the toss and elected to bat.
• Points: The Blaze 5, Northern Diamonds 0

• Southern Vipers won the toss and elected to bat.
• Points: North West Thunder 2, Southern Vipers 2

• Central Sparks won the toss and elected to field.
• No play was possible due to rain.
• Points: Central Sparks 2, Western Storm 2

• North West Thunder won the toss and elected to field.
• North West Thunder 5, Northern Diamonds 0

• South East Stars won the toss and elected to bat.
• Sunrisers innings reduced to 48 overs due to rain; target was 282.
• Points: South East Stars 4, Sunrisers 0

• The Blaze won the toss and elected to field.
• Points: The Blaze 4, Southern Vipers 0

• No toss.
• No play was possible due to rain.
• Points: Sunrisers 2, North West Thunder 2

• Central Sparks won the toss and elected to field.
• Northern Diamonds innings reduced to 34 overs due to rain.
• Central Sparks innings reduced to 19 overs due to rain; target was 164.
• Points: Central Sparks 4, Northern Diamonds 0

• Southern Vipers won the toss and elected to field.
• Match reduced to 48 overs per side due to rain; Southern Vipers target was 238.
• Points: Southern Vipers 4, Western Storm 0

• The Blaze won the toss and elected to bat.
• Match reduced to 48 overs per side due to rain; South East Stars target was 159.
• Points: South East Stars 5, The Blaze 0

• No toss.
• No play was possible due to rain.
• Points: Central Sparks 2, Sunrisers 2

• South East Stars won the toss and elected to field.
• No further play was possible due to rain.
• Points: South East Stars 2, Western Storm 2

• Southern Vipers won the toss and elected to field.
• No further play was possible due to rain.
• Points: Southern Vipers 2, Northern Diamonds 2

• No toss.
• No play was possible due to rain.
• Points: North West Thunder 2, The Blaze 2

• Sunrisers won the toss and elected to field.
• Match reduced to 22 overs per side due to rain.
• Points: Western Storm 4, Sunrisers 0

• Central Sparks won the toss and elected to bat.
• Points: The Blaze 4, Central Sparks 0

• Southern Vipers won the toss and elected to bat.
• Points: Southern Vipers 4, Northern Diamonds 0

• South East Stars won the toss and elected to bat.
• Points: North West Thunder 5, South East Stars 0

• Western Storm won the toss and elected to bat.
• Points: Sunrisers 5, Western Storm 0

• Southern Vipers won the toss and elected to bat.
• Points: Southern Vipers 5, Thunder 0

• South East Stars won the toss and elected to bat.
• Points: South East Stars 5, The Blaze 0

• Central Sparks won the toss and elected to bat.
• Points: Sunrisers 4, Central Sparks 0

• Western Storm won the toss and elected to field.
• Match reduced to 43 overs per side due to rain.
• Points: Northern Diamonds 4, Western Storm 0

• Southern Vipers won the toss and elected to bat.
• Points: Southern Vipers 5, South East Stars 0

• The Blaze won the toss and elected to field.
• Points: Sunrisers 4, The Blaze 0

• North West Thunder won the toss and elected to field.
• Points: Northern Diamonds 5, North West Thunder 0

• Central Sparks won the toss and elected to field.
• Points: Central Sparks 4, Western Storm 0

• Central Sparks won the toss and elected to field.
• Points: South East Stars 5, Central Sparks 0

• Sunrisers won the toss and elected to field.
• Match reduced to 18 overs per side due to rain; Sunrisers target was 126.
• Points: Sunrisers 4, Northern Diamonds 0

• The Blaze won the toss and elected to field.
• Points: Southern Vipers 5, The Blaze 0

• Western Storm won the toss and elected to bat.
• Points: North West Thunder 5, Western Storm 0

Play-off

• South East Stars won the toss and elected to bat.
• The Blaze innings reduced to 10 overs due to rain; target was 52.

Final

• Southern Vipers won the toss and elected to field.
• Match reduced to 48 overs per side due to rain.

Statistics

• Highest score by a team: South East Stars – 334/5 (50 overs) v North West Thunder (22 April).
• Top score by an individual: Paige Scholfield – 134* (109) v Western Storm (1 May).
• Best bowling figures by an individual: Nadine de Klerk – 7/33 (9.1 overs) v Northern Diamonds (6 May).

Most runs

Source: ESPNCricinfo

Most wickets

Source: ESPNCricinfo

References

1. "Northern Diamonds win Heyhoe Flint Trophy by two runs". the Cricketer. 25 September 2022. Retrieved 11 March 2023.
2. "Windsor ties knot on Southern Vipers domestic double". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 24 September 2023.
3. "Expanded women's fixture list at heart of 2023 English domestic schedule". ESPNcricinfo. 30 November 2022. Retrieved 11 March 2023.
4. "Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy fixtures in 2023 - all the matches in next year's tournament". Sky Sports. 30 November 2022. Retrieved 11 March 2023.
5. ^ "Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy 2023 fixtures". England and Wales Cricket Board. 30 November 2022. Retrieved 8 March 2023.
6. "Trent Bridge - Based Women's Regional Team Announced as 'The Blaze'". Trent Bridge. 11 November 2022. Retrieved 11 March 2023.
7. "Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy 2023". England and Wales Cricket Board. Retrieved 8 March 2023.
8. "Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy: Sunrisers beat Southern Vipers for first ever win". BBC Sport. Retrieved 23 April 2023.
9. "The Blaze v Central Sparks, Rachael Heyhoe-Flint Trophy 2023". CricketArchive. Retrieved 23 April 2023.
10. "Thunder v South East Stars, Rachael Heyhoe-Flint Trophy 2023". CricketArchive. Retrieved 23 April 2023.
11. "Dottin's 50 in vain". Nation News. Retrieved 23 April 2023.
12. "Records/Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, 2023/Highest Totals". ESPNCricinfo. Retrieved 24 September 2023.
13. "Records/Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, 2023/Highest Scores". ESPNCricinfo. Retrieved 24 September 2023.
14. "Records/Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, 2023/Best Bowling Figures in an Innings". ESPNCricinfo. Retrieved 24 September 2023.
15. "Records/Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, 2023/Most Runs". ESPNCricinfo. Retrieved 24 September 2023.
16. "Records/Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, 2023/Most Wickets". ESPNCricinfo. Retrieved 24 September 2023.

External links

• Tournament home at ESPNcricinfo

• Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy
• 2023 in English women's cricket