2023 Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy team of the season

JOE WILLIAMS picks out the star performers from the women's regional 50-over competition

The 2023 Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy came to a close on September 24, with Southern Vipers completing the domestic double with victory over The Blaze in Northampton.

Joe Williams looks back on this season's standout performers...

Lauren Winfield-Hill (Northern Diamonds)

14 matches, 663 runs at 51 (1 century, 5 half-centuries); 10 catches, 4 stumpings

Northern Diamonds couldn't defend their crown but that didn't stop Lauren Winfield-Hill from topping the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy run-scoring charts for the second year in a row. One of only two players to pass 500 runs, she posted six 50-plus knocks in 14 innings, with a high score of 116. Not content to just excel with the bat, she also had a hand in 14 dismissals with the gloves.   

Tammy Beaumont (The Blaze)

7 matches, 317 runs at 52.83 (4 half-centuries)

Beaumont missed a number of games due to England commitments but still amassed a team-leading 317 runs at 52.83 while striking above 85. The Blaze won five out of the six group matches she played (their clash with Western Storm ended in no result) and she was once again her side's backbone in the final, scoring 76 runs off 104 balls – her fourth half-century in just seven innings.  

^{Tammy Beaumont [Gareth Copley/Getty Images]}

Grace Scrivens (Sunrisers)

11 matches, 398 runs at 39.80 (1 century, 3 half-centuries); 5 wickets at 49.60, 4.26 economy  

Another fine campaign from the 19-year-old as she continues to show why she is one of the most exciting young players in the country. She topped the run-scoring charts for Sunrisers, averaging 39.80 and scoring a century against The Blaze in her penultimate outing of the season. With the ball, she didn't quite reach the same heights as last year but still picked up five wickets with a handy economy of 4.26.  

Eve Jones (Central Sparks)

13 matches, 440 runs at 44 (4 half-centuries)

Only Winfield-Hill and Georgia Adams scored more runs than the Central Sparks skipper, whose consistency and class with the bat was evident throughout. Jones averaged 44 and scored four half-centuries, with a high score of 84 against Western Storm. She has now scored 1,297 runs at 46.32 in 33 List A matches for Sparks.  

Georgia Adams (Southern Vipers)

13 matches, 546 runs at 49.62 (5 half-centuries); 20 wickets at 24.15, 4.39 economy

Adams is well known for her exploits with the bat and didn't disappoint this season, finishing second in the run-scoring charts with 546 runs at 49.62. However, it was with the ball that she made a real splash, taking 20 wickets with an economy of 4.39 to finish fourth in the overall bowling standings. Her purple patch at the end of the group stage – 301 runs and 10 wickets in six matches – spearheaded Vipers' run to the final and she contributed a further 39 runs and two wickets in the trophy match.   

^{Georgia Adams (holding the trophy) [Philip Brown/Getty Images]}

Georgia Elwiss (Southern Vipers)

11 matches, 273 runs at 24.81 (3 half-centuries); 8 wickets at 22.75, 3.95 economy

The former England allrounder enjoyed another consistent campaign for Southern Vipers but saved her best for when Charlotte Edwards needed her the most. She scored 64 runs in the final group match to help Vipers clinch top spot and followed it up with 50 (69) in the final, anchoring the innings and laying a platform for Emily Windsor to explode off. With the ball, she picked up eight wickets with an economy of 3.95.  

Paige Scholfield (South East Stars)

14 matches, 439 runs at 39.90 (2 centuries, 1 half-centuries); 8 wickets at 35.62, 4.17 economy

Scholfield enjoyed a fine debut season with South East Stars and was never far from the action. The allrounder picked up eight wickets with an economy of 4.17 and also completed nine catches, but it was with the bat that she particularly impressed, scoring 439 runs at nearly 40, With unbeaten knocks of 111 (90) and 134 (109) against Thunder and Western Storm, respectively, she was the only player to score multiple centuries in this year's competition.   

Katie George (Central Sparks)

13 matches, 231 runs at 25.66 (2 half-centuries); 18 wickets at 25.77, 5.02 economy

Like Scholfield, George has reaped the benefits of switching regions in 2023. In a year when spin was king, George stood out with her seam bowling. The 24-year-old was the perfect foil for Georgia Davis' spin, picking up 18 wickets at 25.77 in a dangerous Sparks bowling attack.

The Blaze pacer Grace Ballinger also picked up 18 wickets and produced remarkable figures of 0 for 16 (eight overs) in the final, but couldn't match George's contribution with the bat.  

^{Paige Scholfield [George Franks/@ggf_photos]}

Dani Gregory (South East Stars)

15 matches, 21 wickets at 17.80, 5.05 economy

The spinner finished the competition inside the top-three wicket-takers, with her performances integral to South East Stars' run to the Eliminator. Gregory took 21 wickets at 17.80, including completing a triple-wicket maiden en route to figures of 4 for 12 against Sunrisers.

Thunder spinner Olivia Bell, who picked up 14 wickets in just four matches, was also in contention for this spot.  

Katie Levick (Northern Diamonds)

14 matches, 24 wickets at 18.12, 4.39 economy

Another year, another wicket-laden campaign for veteran spinner Levick. The Diamonds bowler picked up 24 wickets in 13 innings – 11 more than her nearest teammate – to finish second in the overall wicket-taking charts. Typically miserly, she conceded just 4.39 runs per over. Levick, whose best figures were 4 for 28 against Thunder, now has 59 wickets in 36 List A outings for Diamonds. 

Georgia Davis (Central Sparks)

13 matches, 27 wickets at 14.77, 4 economy

This was something of a breakout campaign for the 24-year-old, who not only nailed down a regular spot in Sparks' XI but went on to top the competition's wicket-taking charts, with 27 wickets at 14.77. She only took one four-wicket haul but had an impact in every match she played, controlling the middle overs, and her miserly economy was the fourth-best among the competition's top 20 wicket-takers. 

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