The Cricketer provides all the information you need ahead of Charlotte Edwards Cup Finals Day
A three-team showdown for the Charlotte Edwards Cup, featuring a semi-final and final to crown the 2023 champions.
Finals Day is scheduled to take place on Saturday, June 10.
Finals Day will be at held at New Road, the home of Worcestershire CCC.
Defending champions Southern Vipers will take on north-west outfit Thunder in the semi-final, with the winners facing unbeaten table-toppers The Blaze (formerly Lightning) in the final.
Southern Vipers are the defending champions [George Wood/Getty Images]
Semi-final: Southern Vipers v Thunder (12pm GMT)
Final: The Blaze v semi-final winner (4pm GMT)
The Blaze were assured of a spot at Finals Day with two games to spare before securing their passage straight through to the final with an 84-run victory over Sunrisers on June 4.
The East Midlands side won all seven group matches – they are unbeaten in all competitions in 2023 – and topped the table with a whopping 32 points, 10 clear of second-placed Vipers. Their bounty included a competition-leading four bonus points.
Thunder began their campaign with back-to-back defeats and were without a win in any format since July 2022 when they beat Sunrisers by seven wickets at Emirates Old Trafford.
Winning two of their next three matches, they headed into Wednesday's clash with Northern Diamonds knowing only a bonus-point win would guarantee qualification for Finals Day. Led by Fi Morris (2 for 16 and 42 not out), they did just that, bowling Diamonds out for 96 before completing their chase with 30 balls to spare.
As for Vipers, they won five matches from seven in the group stages, qualifying relatively comfortably in second place despite being the final side confirmed for Saturday's showpiece.
Heading into the final round of fixtures, only a heavy defeat against Sunrisers – a side without a win in the 2023 competition – would have derailed their title defence. Georgia Adams' side made no mistakes, beating Sunrisers by five wickets in Hove.
Nadine de Klerk is among the players to watch for The Blaze [Gareth Copley/Getty Images]
In total, seven centrally contracted players have been made available for Finals Day. That list does not include star allrounder Nat Sciver-Brunt (The Blaze) or seamers Kate Cross (Thunder) and Lauren Bell (Southern Vipers), with England keeping one eye on the women's Ashes.
Southern Vipers: Charlie Dean, Freya Kemp, Danni Wyatt
The Blaze: Tammy Beaumont, Sarah Glenn
Thunder: Sophie Ecclestone, Emma Lamb
It's hard to look past The Blaze, the only unbeaten side left among the eight regions and 18 men's first-class counties.
Vipers, however, are old hands in knockout cricket, winning the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy twice as well as last year's Charlotte Edwards Cup. Having never lost to Thunder, they are the favourites to reach the final.
Sophie Ecclestone is one of seven centrally contracted England players available for selection [Gareth Copley/Getty Images]
In a word: problematic. A yellow warning for thunderstorms has been issued by the Met Office while there is up to a 50 per cent chance of rain between 3pm and 7pm.
Both matches will be live-streamed via ECB.co.uk and the YouTube channels of the three competing teams. Charles Dagnall will lead the commentary, with current women's players Aylish Cranstone, Sophie Luff and Jo Gardner also expected to feature.
Ball by ball coverage will be available via the BBC Sport website, BBC Sport app, and the BBC Sounds app, with BBC Radio Solent, Radio Lancashire and Radio Nottingham leading the commentary.
This coverage is brought to you in partnership with Smile Group Travel, specialists in women and girls cricket. For more information, visit www.smilegrouptravel.com
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