After winning securing a historic Cup double in the summer, the Southern Vipers have now started preparations for their 2024 campaign and have announced their fixtures for next Summer.
Yet the announcement is the biggest yet in Women’s cricket as it is the first time in history that there has been 22 double headers in a single cricket season.
The Vipers, who became the first women’s regional team to win both Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy (RHFT) and Charlotte Edwards Cup (CEC) titles, will begin their campaigns against South East Stars at Beckenham on Saturday 20 April and The Blaze at The Ageas Bowl on Saturday 18 May.
The 2024 season will also see two double headers with Hampshire Hawks at The Ageas Bowl, including on Vitality Blast Off on Thursday 30 May, plus a host of other double headers up and down the country.
Another increase in fixtures has been put in place for next summer, with matches in the CEC increasing from seven to ten, as the four most southern teams and the four most northern teams will face each other twice in the group stage.
The Charlotte Edwards Cup Finals Day has also been revamped to align with the men’s Vitality Blast Finals Day, with two semi-finals taking place as opposed to the previous single ‘eliminator’ match.
This fixture increase means that overall the Vipers will be playing a minimum of 24 matches in 2024, five in which will be at the Ageas bowl.
Its increase is huge for the sport but more than that the growth for Women’s cricket.
When speaking to Vipers bowler Nancy Harman about the prospect of growth she said:
“Yeah it’s really exciting. It’s worked well in the hundred, certainly it brought more people in so hopefully it will do the same here for us at the Ageas bowl.”
To access more of our exclusive interview with the 24-year-old, click on the link below:
