Sunrisers claim final Heyhoe Flint Trophy as curtain comes down on regional era

Cordelia Griffith and Kate Coppack starred as Sunrisers emerged victorious in the last-ever Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy final

Leicester: South East Stars 212, Sunrisers 121-3 - Sunrisers win by 27 runs (DLS)

Sunrisers completed their turnaround from perennial wooden-spoon winners to become the last-ever Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy winners.

Sunrisers failed to win a match in the first three editions of the competition – first held in 2020 – but Kate Coppack's 4 for 27 and Cordelia Griffith’s half-century set up a 27-run DLS victory over South East Stars. Coppack's career-best ripped out the Stars top order to leave them 53 for 4, but Alice Davidson-Richards formed half-century partnerships with Aylish Cranstone and Phoebe Franklin on her way to 93.

Stars eventually reached 212, which Griffith attacked with her fourth fifty in her last five innings – and by the time the rain came they were on 121 for 3 and comfortably ahead of the 94 DLS par score. It meant Sunrisers are effectively eternal Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy with counties replacing the regions and the Metro Bank One-Day Cup becoming the women's 50-over competition in 2025.

Sunrisers stuck Stars in and proceeded to dismantle their top order – specifically through the uber-accurate Coppack. Coppack is one of women's cricket's most interesting characters. She's a full-time lawyer, has played international cricket for Peru and her parents own an alpaca farm. But first and foremost, she is a deadly new-ball bowler.

Related: "It has taken time, it has been a process": How Sunrisers, perennially last, came out the other side

Related: Alice Davidson-Richards to be fuelled by more than just a tilt at history during grand finale

The ball to bowl Alexa Stonehouse was seam bowling perfection, as it kissed the top stump, even if the big hooping in-swinger to castle a swinging Paige Scholfield was more aesthetically pleasing.

She hit the stumps again, this time to run out Bryony Smith after a mix-up with Davidson-Richards, before pinning Kira Chathli in front an over after the powerplay had ended. Coppack's exit from the attack after an opening spell of 3 for 17, saw Davidson-Richards flourish into a partnership with Aylish Cranstone.

The stand, eventually worth 70, was built on Davidson-Richards' ability of knowing when to use her power and when to push the runs on a large expansive outfield.

She reached a four successive fifty with the former tactic, a picked up ping through midwicket, in 61 balls. But at the other end, Cranstone was stumped – injuring herself in the process of sprawling backwards and requiring assistance to return to the dressing room.

Phoebe Franklin followed in Cranstone's footsteps to provide the company for Davidson-Richards to thrive.

^{It was a stormy end in Leicester (Matthew Lewis/Getty Images)}

But Coppack's return saw the back of Franklin – bowled after a well-made 33 – and began the collapse which saw the last five wickets fall for 39 runs, as Davidson-Richards ran out of partners.

Ryana MacDonald-Gay and Tilly Corteen-Coleman were carelessly run out, Kalea Moore was lbw and eventually Davidson-Richards ran out of steam seven runs shy of a second Stars century when Mady Villiers dismissed her leg before.

Sunrisers' response started abysmally as Jo Gardner was lbw to teenager Corteen-Coleman for a golden duck. But from there the in form Griffith saw the ball like a pumpkin with a series of increasingly middled shots to the boundary.

Her 54-ball fifty saw caressed cover drives, pumped pulls and sweeps to the boundary, as Grace Scrivens largely just passed over the strike in their 79-run stand. Griffith, a Sunriser since the beginning, departed when she chased a wide Moore delivery to cover before the spinner got one to stick in the pitch to have Jodi Grewcock caught and bowled.

About a quarter of an hour later, and 25 overs into the innings, and lighting in the area took the players off, before torrential rain turned the outfield into a lake. At 16:20 BST it was called off and Sunrisers had completed their zero to hero arc.

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