Personnel | |
---|---|
Captain | Charlotte Edwards (2013) Heather Knight (2011–2012) Alexia Walker (2008) Rosalie Birch (2007) Laura Newton (2004–2006) Clare Taylor (2002–2003) |
Team information | |
Colours | Dark blue |
Established | 2002 |
History | |
SF50 wins | 3 |
SFT20 wins | 4 |
Sapphires, previously known as V Team, were an English women's cricket team that competed in the Super Fours. The squad varied from season to season, but was made up of some of the top players in English cricket. They were captained by various England players, such as Clare Taylor, Laura Newton and Heather Knight. They won seven Super Fours titles in their history: three 50-over tournaments and four Twenty20 tournaments.
The Super Fours was established in 2002 as a way of bridging the gap between women's county cricket and international cricket, bringing together the top players in England. [1] V Team was one of the teams established, and was captained by Clare Taylor. They finished 3rd in the first 50 over tournament that took place, winning 3 out of 6 games. [2] After finished 4th in 2003, [3] V Team quickly became a strong side in the Super Fours, winning both the 50 over and the newly-established Twenty20 tournament in 2004. [4] They won the Twenty20 tournament again a year later in 2005, going unbeaten to top the group. [5]
In 2006 the team was renamed Sapphires and continued their form, winning their second 50 over title, with batter Claire Taylor finishing the season as leading run-scorer. They claimed another 50 over title in 2008, as well as two more Twenty20 titles, in 2011 and 2013. [6] [7] [8] Sapphires therefore ended the Super Fours as the most successful side, with 7 titles.
Season | League standings | Notes | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
P | W | L | T | A | Pts | Pos | ||
2002 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 3rd | |
2003 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 12 | 4th | |
2004 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 51 | 1st | Champions |
2005 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 36 | 3rd | |
2006 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 74 | 1st | Champions |
2007 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 11 | 4th | |
2008 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 74 | 1st | Champions |
2011 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | – | – | No overall standings |
2012 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | – | – | No overall standings |
2013 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | – | – | No overall standings |
Year | Played | Wins | Losses | Tied | NR | Standing | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2004 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Beat Braves in the final | |
2005 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1st in group | |
2006 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Lost to Diamonds in the final | |
2007 | Tournament Abandoned | ||||||
2008 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Won 3rd place play-off | |
2011 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Beat Rubies in the final | |
2012 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Lost to Rubies in the final | |
2013 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Beat Emeralds in the final |
Charlotte Marie Edwards is an English former cricketer and current cricket coach and commentator. She played primarily as a right-handed batter. She appeared in 23 Test matches, 191 One Day Internationals and 95 Twenty20 Internationals for England between 1996 and 2016. She played domestic cricket in England for East Anglia, Kent, Hampshire and Southern Vipers, as well as overseas for Northern Districts, Western Australia, Perth Scorchers, South Australia and Adelaide Strikers.
Anya Shrubsole is an English cricketer who currently plays for Berkshire, Southern Vipers and the Southern Brave. She played for England between 2008 and 2022, and has previously played domestic cricket for Somerset, Western Storm and Perth Scorchers. She plays as a right-arm medium pace bowler and right-handed lower-order batter. She made her England debut in 2008, and was Player of the Match in the 2017 Women's Cricket World Cup Final. In 2018, she became the first woman to appear on the cover of Wisden Cricketers' Almanack. In April 2022, Shrubsole announced her retirement from international cricket.
Isabelle Mary Geraldine Westbury is a sports writer, broadcaster, lawyer and former cricketer. As a cricketer, she played as a right-arm off break bowler, playing for Somerset and Middlesex, as well as being part of the Western Storm squad in 2016. She captained Middlesex for two seasons, in 2015 and 2016. She also appeared in one One Day International for the Netherlands in 2005, whilst attending school in the country.
Heather Clare Knight is an English cricketer who is captain of the England women's cricket team. She is a right-handed batter and right arm off spin bowler. Knight played in her 100th Women's One Day International match for England in December 2019.
The Super Fours was a women's limited overs cricket competition which was played annually in England between 2002 and 2013, with a break in 2009 and 2010. Designed to bring together the leading 48 players in English women's cricket, it originally composed solely of a 50-over tournament, but in 2004 a Twenty20 competition was added. The tournament, which was created to bridge the gap in quality between the Women's County Championship and international cricket, first featured overseas players in 2008, when Australians Alex Blackwell and Leah Poulton were invited to take part. The competition was not held in 2009 or 2010 due to a busy international schedule caused primarily by the ICC World Twenty20.
Linsey Claire Neale Smith is an English cricketer who plays for Sussex, Southern Vipers and Northern Superchargers. A slow left-arm orthodox bowler, she originally played for Berkshire before moving to Sussex ahead of the 2017 season. In October 2018, she was named in the England women's cricket team squad for the 2018 ICC Women's World Twenty20 tournament, and made her Women's Twenty20 International cricket (WT20I) debut in the tournament against Bangladesh.
The 2005 Super Fours was the fourth cricket Super Fours season. It took place in June and July and saw 4 teams compete in a 50 over league and a Twenty20 league. Knight Riders won the 50 over league, achieving their second title, whilst V Team won the Twenty20 league, also achieving their second title in the format, and their second in two years.
The 2006 Super Fours was the fifth cricket Super Fours season. It took place from May to July and saw 4 teams compete in a 50 over league and a Twenty20 knockout tournament. The competing teams were renamed from the 2005 season, with Braves, Knight Riders, Super Strikers and V Team becoming Rubies, Diamonds, Emeralds and Sapphires, respectively. Sapphires won the 50 over league, whilst Diamonds beat Sapphires in the final of the Twenty20 tournament.
The 2007 Super Fours was the sixth cricket Super Fours season. It took place in June and July and saw 4 teams compete in a 50 over league. A Twenty20 tournament was also scheduled, but abandoned due to rain. Rubies won the tournament, winning all of their matches to claim their second title.
The 2008 Super Fours was the seventh cricket Super Fours season. It took place from May to July and saw 4 teams compete in a 50 over league and a Twenty20 knockout tournament. Sapphires won the 50 over tournament, achieving their third 50 over title, whilst Rubies won the Twenty20 tournament, claiming their first title in the format.
The 2004 Super Fours was the third cricket Super Fours season. It took place in May and June and saw 4 teams compete in a 50 over league and, for the first time, a knockout Twenty20 tournament. V Team were the winners of both tournaments.
The 2011 Super Fours was the eighth cricket Super Fours season. This was the first time the competition had been played since 2008, having been cancelled in 2009 and 2010 due to a busy international schedule. It took place in May and saw 4 teams compete in 50 over and Twenty20 matches. There was no overall winner in the 50 over tournament, whilst Sapphires won the Twenty20 tournament, their third title in the format.
The 2013 Super Fours was the tenth cricket Super Fours season. It took place in June and saw 4 teams compete in 50 over and Twenty20 matches. The four teams that competed in previous years were condensed into three, and Leicestershire and Rutland Under-16 Boys replaced Diamonds. There was no overall winner in the 50 over tournament, whilst Sapphires won the Twenty20 tournament, their fourth title in the format.
Diamonds, previously known as Knight Riders, were an English women's cricket team that competed in the Super Fours. The squad varied from season to season, but was made up of some of the top players in English cricket. They were usually captained by Charlotte Edwards. They won three Super Fours titles in their history: two 50-over tournaments and one Twenty20 tournament.
Emeralds, previously known as Super Strikers, were an English women's cricket team that competed in the Super Fours. The squad varied from season to season, but was made up of some of the top players in English cricket. They were captained by various England players, including Claire Taylor and Arran Brindle. They were the only Super Fours side to never win a competition.
Rubies, previously known as Braves, were an English women's cricket team that competed in the Super Fours. The squad varied from season to season, but was made up of some of the top players in English cricket. They were captained by Clare Connor for their first four seasons, and were subsequently captained by various England players such as Lydia Greenway. They won four Super Fours titles in their history: two 50-over tournaments and two Twenty20 tournaments.
Dragons are an Irish women's cricket team that compete in the Women's Super Series. They first competed in the Super Series from its inception in 2015 until 2019, after which the tournament was reduced to two teams during the COVID-19 pandemic, with Dragons missing out. In 2022 the team returned to the Super Series and, after initially having no geographical base, would return with a "Northern Irish focus". They have won three Super Series titles: in 2016, 2018 and 2019.
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