Another change by Vipers as Paige Scholfield is handed the ball.

Linsey Smith gambles on a quick single from her first delivery and gets home safely as a shy at the stumps misses, leaving Lauren Winfield-Hill to caress the next through point for four runs.

She is looking good in the early stages of the innings and drives back through Scholfield's legs and past mid-off for her second boundary of the over. Winfield-Hill is 24 not out.

Gemma Green, BBC Radio Solent commentator

“That was fantastic! We all saw Charlie Dean in tears yesterday, so to come back like that and break the ice on what must have been a difficult return was brilliant.

“I’m sure she had a little wry smile and the crowd appreciated it.”

If you are unfamiliar with 'Mankading' - here is why we keep mentioning it.

Time for a change as yesterday's 'Mankad victim' Charlie Dean replaces Tara Norris, whose first three overs cost her 11 runs.

She teases a Mankad of her own as Linsey Smith contemplates backing up and there are smiles all round.

Winfield-Hill dabs to third man for two and doesn't risk a third despite Charlotte Taylor's fielding error.

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It's a very different action but Lauren Bell is achieving a degree of inswing reminiscent (for very much older readers) of Max Walker and Lance Cairns when she gets it right.

She gives Lauren Winfield-Hill too much width with her final delivery and the right-hander strokes it away for the third boundary of her innings and moves to 13 not out.

Linsey Smith should in theory be more comfortable against Tara Norris who, as a left-armer, is angling the ball in towards her pads.

She tucks her away for a couple but that's all from a very tidy over.

Smith is five not out and Lauren Winfield-Hill has nine.

Diamonds only mustered 183 in the 2021 final - they'll want a lot more than that this time.

Linsey Smith goes for a big swish at Lauren Bell's first ball, doesn't get her front foot anywhere near the pitch and is beaten.

She gets off strike with an uppish stroke down to third man and there are three wides in the over from Bell, one of them a very wide wide indeed.

Tara Norris drops short and Lauren Winfield-Hill has plenty of time to pull it away through the leg-side for four.

Much better by Norris, who angles one across the England batter and beats her outside off stump.

Linsey Smith really is having to be careful because of the angle of Lauren Bell's delivery, but she chips over the inner ring for two to get off the mark. The final ball of the over just misses the outside edge as it flies through to the keeper

Kevan James is a little surprised to see Tara Norris opening up from the Nursery End, recalling his playing days many moons ago:

"That’s not really a left-arm over’s end – I can tell you that from experience!

"When you get to the crease it feels as though you’re fighting your action a little bit – the other end, it does it all for you."

Tara Norris is the leading wicket-taker for Vipers in the competition with 12 but the left-armer's first ball is a wide and the second is stroked through the covers for four by Lauren Winfield-Hill.

She tightens up her line and there is nothing doing for Diamonds from the rest of her opening over.

Big inswing right from the off for Lauren Bell, and she goes past the outside edge of Lauren Winfield-Hill's bat with her second delivery.

Following a no-ball, she sends down a full toss and Winfield-Hill is able to take a single to mid-wicket to get the Diamonds moving.

This could be tricky for left-hander Linsey Smith, with the swinging ball leaving her outside off stump, but she only has to play one of the remaining deliveries to end the over.

The players are out in the middle.

It's going to be Lauren Winfield-Hill - hope we haven't put the mockers on her with the previous entry (see 10:28) - and Linsey Smith to open for the Diamonds.

The tall Lauren Bell will be bowling the first over for Vipers.

Let's go.

Image source, Getty Images

Lauren Winfield-Hill has been the driving force behind Northern Diamonds' return to the final again in 2022.

The wicketkeeper-batter has lit up the competition at the top of the order with 405 runs in six matches, including four 50s and a sparkling run-a-ball 125 not out against the Southern Vipers last Saturday as the Diamonds won by four wickets to book a direct ticket to this final.

Winfield-Hill was also on form during The Hundred as she helped Oval Invincibles defend their women's crown with 219 runs across seven innings.

The 32-year-old made 20 in the 2020 final of this competition and did not play last year as she was on international duty with England, but she has not played an ODI since March.

However, Winfield-Hill has shown her undoubted class this summer and the Vipers will know how dangerous she is if she gets into her stride.

Northern Diamonds came through the group stage as the only unbeaten team, winning six of their seven games, with the other called off following the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

They have the two highest scorers in the competition in Lauren Winfield-Hill (405) and skipper Hollie Armitage (329) and quality spin bowling from Linsey Smith and Katie Levick.

Vipers were 5-0 ahead of their game against Diamonds at Headingley but lost by four wickets following Winfield-Hill's 125 not out.

It left them facing a play-off game against South East Stars at Beckenham but their big-match experience stood them in good stead as they won comfortably by six wickets, with Tara Norris taking 3-19 as the Stars were hustled out for just 139.

Test Match Special's Henry Moeran and the BBC Solent radio team of Kevan James, Melissa Story and Jemma Green are in position at the home of cricket to bring you ball by ball coverage of today's final.

Click one of the promos at the top of the page to tune in - but we will also keep you apprised of what is happening throughout the day with regular text updates.

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Southern Vipers suffered their first defeat in the competition in the group stages in 2021 with a 120-run loss to Central Sparks but it did not stop them returning to the final for a re-match with Northern Diamonds - and the game at Northampton turned out to be an absolute thriller.

Northern Diamonds won the toss and batted first although they struggled to 183 all out in the final over. Ami Campbell top scored with 60 while Georgia Adams took 4-35 for the Vipers.

Both Vipers openers went for ducks and when they slumped from 93-4 to 109-7 after an inspired three-wicket burst from Jenny Gunn, the Diamonds were clear favourites.

Step forward Emily Windsor and Tara Norris. Windsor played the anchor role as she made 47 not out from 93 balls and number nine Norris hit 40 from 44 balls. When Windsor struck the winning boundary off Beth Langston, the Vipers had got home with just two balls to spare.

Image source, Getty Images

The Southern Vipers maintained a 100% winning streak throughout the inaugural competition with six wins in six in their group before a 38-run triumph over the Northern Diamonds in the final at Edgbaston.

Georgia Adams top-scored for the Vipers with a 102-ball innings of 80 in their total of 231, including 11 fours, which gave her a tally of 500 runs in six completed innings throughout the tournament.

Off spinner Charlotte Taylor tore through the Northern Diamonds for outstanding figures of 10-0-34-6.

Her haul included Northern Diamonds top scorer Sterre Kallis, who was the penultimate wicket to fall, caught by Adams for 55 in the 37th over. The Diamonds were all out for 193 six overs later.

It's defending champions Southern Vipers who win the toss at a sunny Lord's and opt to bowl first.

Charlie Dean comes into the Vipers line-up, hoping to put yesterday's Lord's heartbreak behind her, while Lauren Bell also features alongside a third England player, Maia Bouchier.

For the Diamonds, Phoebe Turner comes in with Jessica Woolston missing out.

Northern Diamonds: Winfield-Hill (wkt), Smith, Armitage (capt), Kalis, Heath, Turner, Dobson, Kasperek, Marlow, Scott, Levick.

Southern Vipers: McCaughan, Bouchier, Elwiss, Adams (capt), Windsor, Dean, Scholfield, Hill (wkt), Norris, C Taylor, Bell.

Good news.

London forecast from the BBC Weather site: "This morning will see clear skies and plenty of sunshine for all. The afternoon will see patchy cloud developing. However, conditions will remain dry with sunny spells."