The Cricketer looks back on the best performances from the 2022 Charlotte Edwards Cup
Danni Wyatt (Southern Vipers)
6 matches, 221 runs, 36.83 average, 152.14 strike rate, HS 76
Danni Wyatt was a powder keg at the top of the order for Southern Vipers, scoring 221 runs at an impressive strike rate of 152.41 and hitting 34 boundaries (32 fours, two sixes) – a haul only Amy Jones could better. Her performances peaked when she struck a 44-ball 76 against Lightning in round three but while she didn’t score another half-century, she continued to bat explosively in the powerplay to break the back of her side’s chases. Invaluable at the top of the order.
Aylish Cranstone (South East Stars)
7 matches, 235 runs, 58.75 average, 115.76 strike rate, HS 66*
In 2021, Aylish Cranstone scored 74 runs in five matches with a high score of 35. This season, she was her side’s leading run-scorer – her nearest teammate, Bryony Smith, scored 149 runs - and arguably the best anchoring batter in the competition. Three unbeaten half-centuries in four matches demonstrated her class at the top of the order and she maintained a healthy strike rate too (115.76).
Danni Wyatt [Ashley Allen/Getty Images]
Amy Jones (Central Sparks)
8 matches, 289 runs, 36.12 average, 136.96 strike rate, HS 80
The 2022 player of the tournament and leading run-scorer – is any further justification really required? Amy Jones’ availability was integral to Sparks reaching their first domestic final, with the England international scoring three half-centuries in eight innings and supercharging their batting with her 136.96 strike rate. With the gloves, she took eight catches and completed four stumpings to sit three dismissals clear of Scarlett Hughes at the top of the wicketkeeping charts.
Bryony Smith (South East Stars)
7 matches, 149 runs, 21.28 average, 120.16 strike rate, HS 50, 11 wickets, 13.27 average, 6.34 economy, best figures 4-14
Bryony Smith was one of the unsung players of the competition. She’s not as powerful as Wyatt or Jones nor as headline grabber with the ball like Charlie Dean or Katie Levick, but she was the only player to take 10 or more wickets and score 100-plus runs.
Though inconsistent with the bat, South East Stars’ skipper contributed several handy knocks, including 41 against Central Sparks and 50 against Sunrisers. With the ball, she was regularly among the wickets and nearly dragged her side into the final with 4 for 14 in the semis against Central Sparks.
Kalea Moore (South East Stars)
7 matches, 133 runs, 44.33 average, 100 strike rate, 57* HS, 8 wickets, 8.5 average, 4.85 economy, best figures 3-4
A handful of players were in contention for this position, including Lightning’s Marie Kelly and Sunrisers allrounder Grace Scrivens. However, Kalea Moore pips them both due to her impressive bowling figures. The teenager only bowled 14 overs across the whole competition but picked up eight wickets, including phenomenal figures of 3 for 4 against Western Storm, and was her side’s most economical bowler.
A handy middle-order batter, she contributed 133 runs (including one half-century) and was one of her side’s best performers in the semi-final, scoring 34 valuable runs and removing Abbey Freeborn and Ami Campbell for single-figure knocks. A very promising allrounder.
Kalea Moore [George Wood/Getty Images]
Charlie Dean (Southern Vipers)
5 matches, 27 runs, 12 wickets, 8.25 average, 4.95 economy, best figures 3-16
Like Jones, Charlie Dean’s place in this XI needs little explanation. The England spinner made just five appearances but took at least two wickets in every match to finish second in the wicket-taking charts, while among the top-10 bowlers, only Moore could better her economy of 4.95. Eve Jones, Amy Jones (both in the final), Sterre Kalis, Kate Cross and Kathryn Bryce were among the key batters to fall at her hand.
Sarah Glenn (Central Sparks)
8 matches, 40 runs, 10 wickets, 16.60 average, 5.18 economy, best figures 3-17
There were no surprises in Sarah Glenn’s performances in the Charlotte Edwards Cup, with the spinner once again balancing potent wicket-taking with economical, controlled bowling. Eight wickets in her first four matches marked a blistering return to action following her absence from the 2022 Women’s World Cup and she threw the kitchen sink at Vipers in the final, bowling 14 dot balls and taking 1 for 20.
Western Storm’s Claire Nicholas was also in contention for this position, picking up six wickets and conceding just 5.25 runs per over.
Emma Marlow (Northern Diamonds)
5 matches, 7 wickets, 12 average, 4.94 economy, best figures 2-12
Perhaps the least familiar, and most surprising, name on this list but Emma Marlow has had quite an impact in her debut season. The 18-year-old arrived with a bang against Lightning, removing Tammy Beaumont and Kathryn Bryce on her way to figures of 2 for 12, and just kept on taking wickets. The spinner bowled 50 dot balls and conceded just six boundaries across the season and led the bowling attack with a maturity beyond her years.
Emma Marlow [Gareth Copley/Getty Images]
Freya Kemp (Southern Vipers)
7 matches, 9 wickets, 17.66 average, 6.11 economy, best figures 2-13
Freya Kemp is the pace-bowling equivalent of Marlow: a young gun upstaging her more experienced peers. Only Dean took more wickets for Vipers than Kemp, who picked up nine dismissals and was also regularly trusted to open the bowling. The 17-year-old impressed in the final with figures of 1 for 13 – including 11 dot balls and just two boundaries – while she also showed signs of her batting potential with a 13-ball 21 against Lightning earlier in the competition. One to watch.
Katie Levick (Northern Diamonds)
6 matches, 15 wickets, 9.06 average, 6.80 economy, best figures 5-15
Some things are just meant to go together: Broad and Anderson, fish and chips, Katie Levick and wickets. The Northern Diamonds spinner was head and shoulders above the rest of the competition at the top of the wicket-taking charts and also the only player to take both a four-for and a five-for. Against Southern Vipers, she produced the best figures in Charlotte Edwards Cup history, taking 5 for 15, while her four-for – taken against Thunder – was one of the most thrilling pieces of death bowling seen this season. Entertaining as always.
Grace Potts (Central Sparks)
7 appearances, 12 wickets, 16.83 average, 7.76 economy, best figures 4-36
In a bowling attack which contains Issy Wong, Emily Arlott and Sarah Glenn, Grace Potts came out of nowhere to out-do them all. The 19-year-old, who only made her Sparks debut at the back end of last season, picked up 12 wickets in seven outings – the second-most in the competition. She seems to enjoy bowling against South East Stars in particular, picking up best figures of 4 for 36 in round two and 3 for 20 in the semi-final.
An honourable mention has to go to her Central Sparks teammate Hannah Baker, who took an impressive seven wickets and posted an economy of 6.23. Another player enjoying a breakout season.
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