Once revered England players - now headgear stylists.

Southern Vipers head coach Charlotte Edwards discusses things with Anya Shrubsole before the start of play at Wantage Road.

Image source, Getty

Mary Taylor in a good rhythm here and builds some pressure on Sarah Bryce.

She almost draws a fatal mistake, but the batter escapes with a single.

Sarah Bryce fails to connect with a free hit after Linsey Smith sends one down over waist height.

Not easy conditions for a spinner to get a good grip of the ball.

Bryce punches off the back foot for a settling single.

Three from the over.

Kevan James
BBC Radio Solent commentator

"So much you feel already rests on Tammy Beaumont's shoulders."

Tammy Beaumont hammers the first boundary of the final, taking full advantage of a Mary Taylor full toss and the England opener sends it through midwicket.

Taylor then overpitches and Beaumont strikes again - sending it through the covers this time and it zips to the rope. Lovely timing.

She's into her stride early.

Melinda Farrell
Sports broadcaster/journalist

"That was an absolute gift, Charlie Dean didn't have to move."

Kevan James
BBC Radio Solent commentator

"Lee doesn't look happy, she took ages to walk off and I have to say she was a long way forward."

Mary Taylor opens up for the Vipers and Lizelle Lee faces first ball.

The South Africa international gets the scoreboard ticking with a push through the covers for two.

A Lee single brings Tammy Beaumont on strike, and she almost gets a bottom edge to the final ball of the over.

Melinda Farrell
Sports broadcaster/journalist

"The pitch looks absolutely fresh, straw coloured. Hopefully once the weather clears up a bit and the sun shines, we'll get a few of the locals coming down here."

Image source, Rex Features

There have been 13 centuries in this season's Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy and George Boyce scored the only one so far for The Blaze.

Her 104 off 126 balls, with nine fours, against Sunrisers at Market Warsop came out of the blue following scores of 0, 0 and 2 in her three previous innings.

And had she not been run out by Mady Villiers in the 46th over, they might not have lost by 30 runs, one of three successive defeats with which they ended the group stage.

Boyce made 21 at a run per ball when the Blaze lost to Southern Vipers in the Charlotte Edwards Cup final in June and will want to get her hands on a winners' medal this time.

Image source, Getty Images

Georgia Adams has once again been an inspirational figure as Southern Vipers qualified for their sixth final out of seven since the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy and Charlotte Edwards Cup were introduced.

The all-rounder is the team's leading performer with both bat and ball - scoring 507 runs, a total exceeded only by Lauren Winfield-Hill of Northern Diamonds, and taking 18 wickets at an average of 24.44.

Her runs tally is more than that of The Blaze's joint top run-scorers, Georgie Boyce and Tammy Beaumont, added together - they have both contributed 241.

Such is her consistency - she was also a member of the Southern Brave side that won The Hundred last month - it is hard to believe that the 29-year-old has not played senior international cricket for England.

We have lost 50 minutes of play, but as it stands only two overs a side have gone.

So it will be 48 overs a side, with play scheduled to begin in just 10 minutes time.

If the weather behaves itself, of course.

Sothern Vipers have won the toss and will bowl first at Northampton.

Vipers head coach Charlotte Edwards has named an unchanged side from the XI which beat Blaze eight days ago by 126 runs in their final group match.

Tammy Beaumont returns for The Blaze, but her England team-mate Nat Sciver-Brunt is not in the squad.

Vipers: McCaughan, Bouchier, Adams (capt), Elwiss, Windsor, Kemp, Dean, Smith, Southby, M Taylor, Lee.

Blaze: Beaumont, Kelly, S. Bryce, Boyce, K. Bryce, Claridge, Graves, Higham, Gordon, Groves, Ballinger.

The toss is just minutes away.

Play is due to get under way at 11:20 BST.

Kevan James
BBC Radio Solent commentator

"The outfield is being roped, which suggests the rain has stopped. I would guess we are minutes away from the toss."

The Blaze dominated the early stages of this year's competition, winning six of their first eight games - the other two abandoned and incomplete because of rain.

They beat Vipers by four wickets in a high-scoring game on the Isle of Wight, chasing down a target of 260 with 10 balls to spare after Marie Kelly and Sarah Bryce set them on their way with a 115-run partnership for the first wicket.

Image source, Getty

But after beating Central Sparks by three wickets the group stage resumed in September, they lost their final three games - the last by 126 runs at Loughborough as Vipers, who had lost half of their first eight games, earned direct passage through to the final.

It meant The Blaze had to face South East Stars in a play-off to join them and following rain, they reached a revised target of 52 in 10 overs with eight balls to spare to win by eight wickets.

Image source, Getty Images

Southern Vipers head coach Charlotte Edwards has been collecting trophies throughout her career - and she would dearly love to see her team complete a double after missing out a year ago.

"I think we are an unbelievably resilient group. We lost a few of our England players during this run and some of our academy players have really stepped up," she told BBC Radio Solent.

“I’m not surprised by their form because I know how good they are. But it’s that stepping up to this level that is impressive.

"Our experienced players have been outstanding, Georgia Adams, Emily Windsor, Georgia Elwiss, have all made massive contributions and I think that really helps our younger players step into the Vipers and feel comfortable.”

A light mizzle is falling at Northampton.

So, you've guessed it, we have another delay for today's toss.

There's plenty of low cloud, but the forecast is due to improve.

A little patience will pay off.