Edwards vows Southern Vipers are ready for Kia Super League Final

Charlotte Edwards was surprised to have automatically qualified for the final of the Kia Super League, but vows to be ready for whoever they face ahead of the defence of their title on Friday.

Southern Vipers reached the final after a convincing 30-run win against Yorkshire Diamonds on Saturday, leapfrogging Surrey Stars who suffered a heavy 81-run defeat to Loughborough Lightning.

Ahead of Finals Day at the 1^st Central County Ground, Hove, Edwards has admitted that her side will be on top of their game when they face Surrey Stars or Western Storm in the final.

She said: “Qualifying straight to the final was a bit of surprise really, going into the last round we excepted that we’d have to play a semi-final but the results went our way on Saturday.

“We’re more than happy to get our foot in the door and we have the experience of last year so we know what to expect and having only one game on the day makes it’s even better.

“We’ll be focusing on the final no matter who we get play, we’ve been successful against Storm this season and had a close game with Surrey so I think the three best teams have gone through again.”

“Both are going to be good teams so we haven’t really got a preference, we’re just pleased we’re there. They have both got big names so whoever we’ll face we’ll be ready.”

Southern Vipers have continued where they left off after lifting the inaugural Kia Super League title last season, adding Hayley Matthews, Danni Wyatt and Mignon du Preez to their ranks.

Former England captain Charlotte Edwards is hugely satisfied that the rotation of players has not affected their squad on their way to convincingly winning four of their five group matches.

“It’s been brilliant working with this group of players. The most pleasing this is that we’ve lost some real experience and key players but the new recruits have stepped into their roles seamlessly.

“Suzie Bates has obviously been our best player, but she hasn’t got the runs that she got earlier on in the tournament so everyone has performed at some point in this campaign and we’re not relying on one player.

“Hayley Matthews has been brilliant and we saw what she could do against Yorkshire Diamonds but her bowling has been an added bonus too.

“We selected her as a batsman but she’s been outstanding with the ball and to get a big character around the group like Wyatt and someone with the experience of Mignon du Preez is fantastic.”

This year saw county players Charlie Dean and Tara Norris make their debuts for Southern Vipers, with the latter playing for Sussex in Division One of the Women’s County Championship.

This year’s Finals Day will be hosted at the home of Sussex CCC, but Edwards believes that it will not affect the outcome of the day, but it does help that the players already have knowledge of the ground.

“I think it does help that a lot of the team play for Sussex, but a lot of the team have played at Hove before which is great.

“I’ve certainly played a lot there in the past for England so it will hopefully feel like a home game, but it won’t have any bearing on the result of the game.

“Sometimes playing at home can add more pressure and hopefully they’ll be plenty of friends and family in what will be a big crowd.

“We’ve got one more push to go, but we’re going into Finals Day in a good place as a team and that will stand us in good stead.”

Tickets for Finals Day is just £5 for Adults and £1 for Children, with a family of four people gaining entry for just £10 to see two games of high-quality, entertaining T20 cricket.

What’s more, there is an exclusive ticket offer for large groups looking to attend the games in Hove, where you can buy 10 tickets and get another 10 free!

To take advantage of this brilliant offer, call the Sussex CCC ticket office on 0844 264 0206 and quote ‘KSL 10 for 10’ to ensure you don’t miss out on this fantastic opportunity.