International stars and debutants shine in Charlotte Edwards Cup

The Charlotte Edwards Cup got underway on the weekend, with a mixture of England stars and regional debutants taking their chance to stand out.

There were wins for Northern Diamonds, Southern Vipers, Central Sparks and South East Stars – with Lauren Winfield-Hill the stand-out performer of the weekend.

Her 51-ball 96 propelled the Diamonds to an imposing total of 177, which proved too much for Lightning as last year’s losing finalists got their campaign off to a winning start, despite a half-century in reply from Winfield-Hill’s international colleague Tammy Beaumont (59).

Other England players were showing good early-season form, too. Amy Jones (52) made a half-century for Central Sparks in their victory over Western Storm, and Charlie Dean (2-17) and Maia Bouchier (48*) saw Vipers to victory over Thunder at Hove.

At South East Stars it was Aylish Cranstone who played the match-defining innings, her unbeaten 46-ball 56 taking the defending champions to victory over Sunrisers.

And Cranstone wasn’t the only uncapped player to make their mark, and it was a good day for Charlotte Edwards Cup debutants.

Emma Marlow (2-12) recorded the best figures of the weekend on her Diamonds bow, including the prized wicket of Beaumont, and 17-year-old left-arm seamer Freya Kemp (2-13) was accurate and threatening in her first Charlotte Edwards Cup outing against Thunder.

Meanwhile, former Lightning player Abbey Freeborn made a good start to life at Central Sparks with a half-century in her team’s win against Western Storm.

The second round of fixtures takes place this Wednesday. You can stream every game online. Head here for more information on how to follow the Charlotte Edwards Cup.