Southern Vipers extend 100 per cent start to Charlotte Edwards T20 Cup campaign

Georgia Adams and Maia Bouchier starred as Southern Vipers maintained their flawless Charlotte Edwards Cup record with a seven-wicket victory over South East Stars.
Maia Bouchier starred for the Southern Vipers in their Charlotte Edwards Cup win against the South East stars at Beckenham. Photo by James Chance/Getty Images.Maia Bouchier starred for the Southern Vipers in their Charlotte Edwards Cup win against the South East stars at Beckenham. Photo by James Chance/Getty Images.
Maia Bouchier starred for the Southern Vipers in their Charlotte Edwards Cup win against the South East stars at Beckenham. Photo by James Chance/Getty Images.

The pair shared an opening stand of 89 in just 9.1 overs as Vipers stormed to a seven-wicket victory in the T20 tournament at Beckenham, Kent.

Adams, who was the inaugural Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy’s leading run-scorer in 2020 bludgeoned 50 in 31 deliveries, including eight fours.

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Bouchier crashed 53 not out as Vipers knocked off the 128 required with 24 balls to spare.

Earlier, Charlotte Taylor took 3-12 to continue her Beckenham love affair as Stars struggled to find a focal point to their innings.

Adams tucked into Alexa Stonehouse’s first over of the reply with 18 runs, including a trio of leg-side boundaries on a belting wicket.

The Vipers skipper maintained the unyielding scoring with a pulled four, a swing to the mid-wicket rope, a full toss dispatched off her hip and a cut as her score raced to 36 by the end of the fourth over.

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Bouchier wasn’t going to miss out on the fun with a couple of drives and a lofted chip to the boundary as the pair recorded the tournament’s highest opening stand – and allay any worries they would miss England’s Danni Wyatt.

Adams reached her half-century in 30 balls, including eight fours, before chipping to long-on next ball.

Charlie Dean was bowled trying to reverse sweep Kalea Moore but Bouchier cover drove the winning runs to bring up a 43-ball fifty.

Stars’ innings, having been asked to bat first, was built out of contributions rather than an individual innings of note – with Kira Chathli top scoring with 30.

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Openers Alice Davidson-Richards and Smith were both bamboozled by Taylor, the first stumped trying to negate the away swing and the second skied to mid-on.

Phoebe Franklin accelerated with four boundaries before she was bowled off her pad, before Taylor returned to have Grace Gibbs flailing out to long-on. The off-spinner took 4-21 on the ground in the RHF Trophy back in May.

Capsey and Rowe nurdled nicely in a 30-run stand, but the latter swung out to deep midwicket and the latter was bowled by Lauren Bell when attempting a scoop.

Bouchier said: ‘It is great to get another win in the bag before the Hundred break, going into that on a three-game (winning) streak is important.

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‘I see myself as an opener so to come in and open with Georgia was a great opportunity and show that if Danni is gone it doesn’t matter.

‘It was a benefit at the start that they didn’t bowl the lines and lengths they wanted. We definitely took advantage of their bad balls, especially Georgia at the top, and put us in good stead.

‘I was patient with that and just enjoyed batting with her. Watching her score runs is as good as it gets.

“Charlotte has worked so hard over the winter and it is showing on the pitch. Her amazing figures just keep on happening.’

The Charlotte Edwards Cup resumes towards the end of August, with the Hundred starting on July 22.

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