Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy (England) 2023/24

The Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy served as the premier women’s 50-over domestic cricket competition in England and Wales. Organised by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), it sat at the top tier of the women’s domestic pyramid for List A cricket during its existence. The tournament functioned as the successor to the regionalised structure that replaced the traditional county system.

The competition featured eight regional teams: Southern Vipers, Sunrisers, Western Storm, Central Sparks, The Blaze, South East Stars, Northern Diamonds and North West Thunder. There was no promotion or relegation, as the eight regional franchises were fixed. The format evolved over its five seasons. The inaugural 2020 edition used two groups (North and South) with the winners meeting in a final. From 2021 to 2022, the tournament utilised a single round-robin league where the top team qualified directly for the final and the second and third-placed teams played a playoff. The 2023 season introduced a double round-robin format, while the final 2024 campaign featured a double round-robin group stage followed by semi-finals for the top four teams.

Southern Vipers were the most successful club, winning the trophy three times (2020, 2021, 2023). The inaugural winner was Southern Vipers, and the final winner in 2024 was Sunrisers, who defeated South East Stars in the final. The competition was discontinued after the 2024 season as part of the ECB’s “Project Darwin” restructuring, which reverted to a county-based structure. It was replaced in 2025 by the Metro Bank One Day Cup (Women’s), although the physical trophy retains the name “Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy.” The key distinction between this competition and its counterpart, the Charlotte Edwards Cup, was the format: the Flint Trophy was a 50-over (List A) competition, whereas the Charlotte Edwards Cup was a Twenty20 (T20) competition.