Everything you need to know about the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy
What Is The Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy?
The Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy is a competition being played for the first time this summer. It’s a special edition 50-over competition, played between the eight newly formed regions who make up the women’s elite domestic structure.
The eight regions will be split into two regionalised groups of four, with the two respective group winners progressing to play each other in a final. The venue for the final will be the home of the best-performing team in the group stages.
Who’s playing in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint trophy?
The eight newly formed regions of the women’s elite domestic structure.
Those regions are formed of First-Class Counties and National Counties – and Loughborough University - who work together at the elite end of the women’s domestic game to support a squad of professional and semi-professional players, as well as an academy.
The eight regions are:
Central Sparks (Warwickshire CCC & Worcestershire CCC, Herefordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire)
Lightning (Loughborough University, Derbyshire CCC, Leicestershire CCC, Nottinghamshire CCC, Lincolnshire)
Northern Diamonds (Yorkshire CCC, Durham CCC, Northumberland)
Thunder (Lancashire CCC, Cheshire, Cumbria)
South East Stars (Surrey CCC, Kent CCC)
Southern Vipers (Hampshire Cricket Ltd, Sussex CCC, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Dorset, Isle of Wight, Oxfordshire)
Sunrisers (Middlesex CCC, Essex CCC, Northamptonshire CCC, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire, Huntingdonshire, Norfolk, Suffolk)
Western Storm (Glamorgan CCC, Gloucestershire CCC, Somerset CCC, Cricket Wales, Cornwall, Devon, Wiltshire)
Will The Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy be played every year?
This summer was always set to be the first summer of fixtures in the new women’s elite domestic structure.
COVID-19 has impacted some of the logistics of this year’s competition, the regionalised approach of the Rachael Heyhoe Flint trophy – for example – is a specific reaction to the landscape of COVID-19.
So while the eight regions will be participating in both 50-over and 20-over cricket every summer from next year, the tournament structure and tournament names are yet to be confirmed.
Which players will take part in the Rachel Heyhoe Flint Trophy?
Each region will have a squad of 15 players.
Some of those players are already known, as each region has announced their intake of Regional Retainer players – an important step towards the professionalisation of the domestic women’s game – and each region will soon confirm their full 15-strong squad.
The availability of England Women’s Centrally Contracted players will be known once the international schedule has been confirmed.
All players who take part in the competition will be paid to play, with the exception of Centrally Contracted players.
Can I watch the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Tropy?
At present, games will proceed on a behind-closed-doors basis as the game follows UK Government guidance ‘Stage 3 Elite Sport - return to domestic competition guidance.’ Any change to that would depend on UK Government guidance.
There are hopes that the eight regions will be able to live-stream the fixtures on their website and discussions around the feasibility of such a plan are ongoing.
Why is it called the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy?
The tournament is named after former England great Rachael Heyhoe Flint, a trailblazer in women’s cricket who passed away in 2017, aged 77. Heyhoe Flint is a titanic figure in the history of the women’s game, challenging convention and fighting for progress as a player, administrator and campaigner throughout her life.
As well as serving as England captain and campaigning for women’s inclusion in the MCC, Heyhoe Flint sat on the ECB Board that gave the green-light for the Kia Super League to start in 2015. The Kia Super League trophy will be recommissioned to become the inaugural Rachel Heyhoe Flint trophy to further illustrate the progression and growth of the women’s domestic game.
Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy fixtures
Saturday 29 August:
Sunrisers v Southern Vipers, The Cloudfm County Ground
Central Sparks v Northern Diamonds, Edgbaston
Lightning v Thunder, Trent Bridge
South East Stars v Western Storm, Beckenham
Monday 31 August:
Western Storm v Southern Vipers, Bristol County Ground
South East Stars v Sunrisers, Beckenham
Thunder v Central Sparks, venue TBC
Northern Diamonds v Lightning, Emirates Riverside
Saturday 5 September:
Southern Vipers v South East Stars, The 1st Central County Ground
Sunrisers v Western Storm - The Cloudfm County Ground
Thursday 10 September:
Thunder v Northern Diamonds, venue TBC
Friday 11 September:
Western Storm v South East Stars, Bristol County Ground
Southern Vipers v Sunrisers, Ageas Bowl
Central Sparks v Lightning, Blackfinch New Road
Sunday 13 September:
Southern Vipers v Western Storm, Ageas Bowl
Sunrisers v South East Stars, The Cloudfm County Ground
Thunder v Lightning, venue TBC
Northern Diamonds v Central Sparks, Emerald Headingley
Saturday 19 September:
South East Stars v Southern Vipers, Kia Oval
Northern Diamonds v Thunder, Emerald Headingley
Lightning v Central Sparks, The Fischer County Ground, Grace Road
Western Storm v Sunrisers, Bristol County Ground
Saturday 26 September:
Final, venue TBC
