Charlotte Edwards Cup: Southern Vipers out to win coach Edwards 'her cup'

South East Stars are the reigning Charlotte Edwards Cup champions, having beaten Northern Diamonds in last year's final

"It's her cup isn't it? It would be really nice for Charlotte Edwards to win the Charlotte Edwards Cup."

The Southern Vipers, coached by England's former captain and most-capped player Edwards, are looking to lift the Charlotte Edwards Cup for the first time at finals day in Northampton on Saturday.

The Vipers won all six of their Group B matches to advance straight to the final and will play the winner of South East Stars and Central Sparks, who will meet in the semi-final earlier on Saturday.

"The team were disappointed they lost in the semi-finals last year - we're already one step further on than that," former England pace bowler and Vipers player Anya Shrubsole told BBC Radio Solent.

"We've got a really strong team. We knew that if we played well, we would have a really good chance of being successful, and so far, we've done that."

Vipers are looking to complete the set of English cricket's domestic titles, having won the first two editions of the 50-over Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy in 2020 and 2021.

"It's my first season with this team and to be in a final is exciting," continued Shrubsole. "You want to be involved in teams that are really successful and are pushing the game forward."

Sparks hope to shock holders Stars

Finishing with the best domestic record is no guarantee of finals day success, although South East Stars were the tournament's maiden champions last year having also advanced straight to the final with the campaign's highest points tally.

This year, Stars must get past Central Sparks, who they finished ahead of in Group A, to reach the final again.

"We have just given ourselves a chance," Stars captain Bryony Smith told BBC Radio London. "We had a tough group, but we knew if we finished in that top two, we'd have a good chance of going through."

The two sides are packed with talent and contain the tournament's leading two run scorers, with Sparks' Amy Jones making 245 runs from her six group match innings, 10 more than Stars' Aylish Cranstone.

"We're evens this season," Sparks pace bowler Issy Wong told BBC CWR. "We beat them away from home and they beat us at home.

"We've shown what we're capable of against that South East Stars side."

Wong hit 45 runs off 28 balls as the Sparks beat the Stars by 34 runs at Guildford on 18 May.

Less than a fortnight ago at Edgbaston, however, things were a lot closer, as the Stars ran out winners by 10 runs on the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method in a rain-affected encounter.

"We know they're a good side and have got great players. But we have a lot of trust and quality in our side as well," continued Wong.

"Bring on this weekend - I'm super excited for it."

Finals Day fixtures

12:00 BST: South East Stars v Central Sparks

16:00 BST: Southern Vipers v South East Stars/Central Sparks