Charlotte Edwards at the helm as Southern Vipers look to make their mark

RACHAEL HEYHOE FLINT TROPHY PREVIEW, by SYD EGAN: The Southern Vipers are coached by former England captain Charlotte Edwards, who captained the Vipers to victory in the inaugural Kia Super League back in 2016

Head coach: Charlotte Edwards

Squad: Georgia Adams, Lauren Bell, Maia Bouchier, Ella Chandler, Providence Cowdrill, Charlie Dean, Ariana Dowse, Freya Kemp, Cassidy McCarthy, Ella McCaughan, Alice Monaghan, Tara Norris, Carla Rudd, Paige Scholfield, Emily Windsor

Allocated England players: Danni Wyatt, Georgia Elwiss

Fixtures: August 29 - Sunrisers (a, 10.30am); August 31 - Western Storm (a, 10.30am); September 5 - South East Stars (h, 10.30am); September 11 - Sunrisers (h, 10.30am); September 13 - Western Storm (h, 10.30am); September 19 - South East Stars (a, 10.30am)

Squad Background

Based on the south coast, and playing their home games at Hove and the Ageas Bowl, Southern Vipers are a partnership between Hampshire, Sussex, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Dorset, the Isle of Wight, and Oxfordshire; drawing most of their players from the two major counties involved - 2018 county champions Hampshire, and six-time champions Sussex.

What do I need to know?

The Southern Vipers are coached by former England captain Charlotte Edwards, who captained the Vipers to victory in the inaugural Kia Super League back in 2016.

Just two other players survive from the side that triumphed at Chelmsford that day - wicketkeeper Carla Rudd and captain Georgia Adams, who is back in orange this season after a spell in the purple of Loughborough Lightning in 2018 and 2019.

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Who are the star names?

The Vipers “pros” are opener and occasional off-spinner Adams (daughter of Sussex legend Chris Adams); batter Paige Scholfield; and left-arm seamer Tara Norris.

The other big name on the squad is fast bowling prodigy Lauren Bell, who at six feet tall is literally head and shoulders above most of her teammates.

Bell is currently a student at Loughborough University, and has been training full time with the England squad this summer, but is expected to return to spearhead the Vipers attack in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy.

Youngsters to look out for

All seasons are key seasons when you’re an aspiring professional cricketer, but they don’t come much keyer than 2020 for Maia Bouchier.

The allrounder opened the batting and the bowling for Hampshire in 2019, but at 21 this is the time for her to start posting the big numbers to back up her prodigious natural talent with bat and ball and make her claim to be the next big England star.

Also look out for 18-year-old Ella McCaughan, a top-order bat who hit over 1,000 runs in three consecutive seasons of junior cricket between 2016 and 2018 and is now looking to make her mark on the senior game.

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