Charlotte Edwards Cup team of the week: Who joins Sophie Ecclestone in our XI?

The Cricketer looks back on the best performances from round five and six of the Charlotte Edwards Cup

Bryony Smith (South East Stars)

With her side needing a win to keep their title defence alive, skipper Bryony Smith stepped up. Batting at the top of the order against Sunrisers, she scored 50 runs from 31 balls to help her side to 183 for 9 – their highest score in the competition. She then picked an economical 2 for 17 from her three overs and was the only bowler to concede zero boundaries. Smith’s form is peaking at the right time for finals day.

Bess Heath (Northern Diamonds)

A handful of players were fighting for this spot, including Eve Jones (Central Sparks) and Southern Vipers duo Georgia Adams and Danni Wyatt. However, Bess Heath gets the nod for her aggressive 46-ball 60 against Lightning which helped keep her side’s hopes of reaching finals day alive. Heath’s knock included seven fours and was scored at a strike rate of 130.43. Another promising sign of the firepower possessed by the 20-year-old.

Amy Jones (Central Sparks)

England wicketkeeper Amy Jones is the leading run-scorer at the end of the group stages, scoring 245 runs at 40.83, and bounced back from a poor outing against Sunrisers to score 63 runs from 46 balls against Western Storm in round six. It was ultimately in vain, with Sparks losing by seven wickets but like Smith, Jones is returning to her best at the right time. How she fares against South East Stars on June 11 will likely determine which side reaches the final.

^{Bryony Smith is returning to form just in time for finals day [Ben Hoskins/Getty Images]}

Hollie Armitage (Northern Diamonds)

Poor Hollie Armitage threw the kitchen sink at getting her side to finals day. Against Lightning, she contributed a run-a-ball 30 to her side’s total (145 for 5) before striking four times with the ball to secure a five-run victory. Her first wicket was dangerous opener Bethany Harmer while Sophie Munro (17th over), Teresa Graves and Piepa Cleary (both falling in the 19th) were removed at the death. Three days later, she scored an unbeaten 48 (39 balls) – including sharing a 27-run partnership with Katherine Brunt off 16 balls – against Southern Vipers. She finishes the season as her side’s highest run-scorer.

Sophie Ecclestone (Thunder)

Against Southern Vipers in round five, Ecclestone shone in an unusual role, posting a resilient 28 not out off 32 balls to top-score for her side. However, against Lightning, normal service resumed and the 23-year-old lit up Emirates Old Trafford with the ball, taking 5 for 15. A four from Lucy Higham and a wide were the only blots on her copybook while her fifth wicket – Josie Groves smartly stumped by captain Ellie Threlkeld – was one of the standout dismissals of the competition. She now sits alongside Katie Levick with the best-ever figures in the Charlotte Edwards Cup.

Amara Carr (Sunrisers)

Amara Carr returned to the Sunrisers XI for the final two matches and shone. Against Central Sparks, she scored an unbeaten 37 off 29 balls as her side fell four runs short of victory and also took the catches to dismiss Eve and Amy Jones. Against South East Stars, she was once again busy behind the stumps, taking two catches and completing one stumping, before top-scoring for Sunrisers with 31 runs (27 balls). A promising sign of things to come in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy.

^{Amara Carr impressed on her return to Sunrisers' XI [Ryan Pierse/Getty Images]}

Charlie Dean (Southern Vipers)

It’s hard to argue with combined figures of 5 for 40 across the past two rounds. Against Thunder, Charlie Dean was the standout player, picking up 3 for 16 – including Kate Cross and Threlkeld - and bowling an impressive 15 dot balls during her four overs. She followed it up with 2 for 24 against Northern Diamonds, removing both openers inside seven overs and conceding just two boundaries. Only Levick (15) has taken more wickets than Dean’s 10 while the 21-year-old also boasts an impressive economy of five.

Freya Kemp (Southern Vipers)

17-year-old Freya Kemp had a day to remember against Thunder at Old Trafford. Trusted to open the bowling against Emma Lamb and Georgie Boyce, the young pacer removed the former inside the powerplay before collecting Boyce’s wicket halfway through the innings. She conceded just two boundaries – hit by Cross and Ecclestone - during her four overs and now has eight wickets in her debut season.

Kalea Moore (South East Stars)

Prior to round five, Kalea Moore had picked up just one wicket in five overs; she finished the group stages with six wickets in 10 overs. Against Western Stom, the 19-year-old’s right-arm offies caused a middle-order collapse, with Dani Gibson, Nat Wraith and Katie George falling in quick succession as their side tumbled from 59 for 3 to 67 for 6 in a little over two overs. She finished with figures of 3 for 4 and followed it up with 2 for 16 against Sunrisers, including snaring openers Scarlett Hughes and Grace Scrivens inside the first three overs. A threat for finals day.

^{Sophia Smale celebrates the wicket of Sophia Dunkley [Dan Mullan/Getty Images]}

Sophia Smale (Western Storm)

The third teenage bowler in this XI and perhaps the best thing to emerge from Western Storm’s season to date. Against South East Stars, Sophia Smale was miserly, removing Sophia Dunkley – her first Storm wicket - and Alice Capsey and conceding just one boundary on her way to team-leading figures of 2 for 18. Against Central Sparks, she added Eve and Amy Jones to her collection and once again led the way with the ball, taking 2 for 17. Not bad for a player who only made her debut in May 2022.

Claire Nicholas (Western Storm)

She isn’t one of the most eye-catching performers but Claire Nicholas is an integral cog in Western Storm’s attack thanks to her economical bowling. She bowled eight overs across rounds five and six, bowling 23 dot balls and conceding four boundaries. Her combined figures were 2 for 41, including the wickets of Abbey Freeborn (24 off 23) and Bryony Smith (24 off 28) against Central Sparks and South East Stars, respectively.