Alice Capsey half-century, two-for sets up South East Stars for vital win over Southern Vipers

South East Stars beat Southern Vipers by 20 runs at the Ageas Bowl in the Charlotte Edwards Cup, thanks to a boisterous half-century and a return of 2 for 9 from 17-year-old Alice Capsey.

Capsey's 61 from 46 balls, combined with useful contributions from Bryony Smith (42 from 25) and Phoebe Franklin (30 from 29), helped the Stars to 167 for 4 - the most runs conceded by Vipers in the competition. Vipers desperately missed strike bowler Lauren Bell, isolating after close contact with a Covid-positive case.

In reply Vipers sunk to 32 for 3 in the Powerplay, with both openers caught trying to hit out against Capsey - Georgia Adams at short extra cover and Tara Norris at mid-on.

Vipers recovered to reach 147 for 7 thanks to a smart innings from Georgia Elwiss, with 45 from 32 balls, and some late heroics from Alice Monaghan, who hit an unbeaten 30 from 17 balls and tonked the only six of the day over deep midwicket, but their early losses cost them.

The win puts Stars at the top of the table with one round to go.

Vipers had won the toss and chosen to field but Stars teed off early - Aylish Cranstone punishing Norris's first over for 15 runs, before the left-armer trapped her lbw. Smith took over where Cranstone left off, hitting the ball hard down the ground as Stars racked up 56 runs in the Powerplay.

By contrast Capsey started slowly with 5 from 13, but the dismissal of Smith in the ninth over - caught at long-on, handing debutant Chiara Green her first wicket of the competition - seemed to galvanise her. Two overs later she audaciously scooped Elwiss to the boundary, and followed that up by smashing three boundaries - including a lofted drive down the ground - from Norris's next over.

Capsey shared a 64-run partnership with the fluent Franklin, helped by some uncharacteristically poor fielding in the deep from Vipers. Franklin was bowled by Adams in the 17th but Capsey was unfazed, bringing up a 41-ball half-century with a single in the 19th.

She was eventually run out with one ball of the innings to go after a bad fall prevented her making her ground at the non-striker's end, and limped off clutching her quad. But she came roaring back to open the bowling for Stars to great effect.