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With the current era of women’s cricket coming to an end, we reflect on the highs and lows for the South East Stars since the team’s inception in 2020.

2020: First season

The inaugural season of the women’s set up took place against the backdrop of the Covid pandemic and saw teams compete for the 50-over Rachal Heyhoe Flint Trophy (RHFT) in a two-group league phase of six games, followed by semi-finals and a final.

The newly-formed Stars team were beaten in their first game as the Western Storm were led to victory by England captain Heather Knight’s 91* – securing victory by 6 wickets at Beckenham. Two days later, Sophia Dunkley’s sparkling 97 helped the team to their first victory over the Sunrisers by 77 runs. The only other victory in 2020 was the reverse fixture against the Sunrisers and the Stars finished third in the South Group, missing out on semi-final qualification.

2021: Champions!

2021 would prove a much more productive year, as the T20 Charlotte Edwards Cup (CEC) was set up, alongside the RHFT. The Stars were dominant in the group stages, winning five of six games thanks to some heavy run-scoring, complemented by tight bowling from the team’s spin-bowling attack. Alice Capsey and Bryony Smith starred with bat and ball as the Stars topped the group stages, advancing directly to the final. In the final at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton, the Stars restricted the Northern Diamonds to 138 off their 20 overs and got off to a storming start thanks to openers Smith (37 off 25) and Aylish Cranstone (35 off 27), Capsey steered the team home with a dominant 40* off just 26 balls to see the Stars win by five wickets with two overs to spare and securing the first piece of silverware for the team.

In the RHFT, the Stars started by posting the highest ever score in the competition, making 324/7 against the Sunrisers thanks to an unbeaten century from Dunkley. However, the team wasn’t able to find consistent form, finishing fifth in the new single group stage.

2022: Semi-final heartbreak for the Stars

The following year saw the Stars build on the success of 2021 with consistency across both formats, losing just two group games in total in the 2022 season. In the RHFT, the Stars built their success on making big runs with the bat, passing 250 in four of the six group games (the seventh fixture was postponed after the passing of Her Majesty The Queen and the points were shared). They were also a miserly bowling unit, only allowing the opposition to pass 200 on three occasions. They qualified second in the group but were defeated by the Southern Vipers in the semi-final.

The defending champions in the CEC set out to go back-to-back and lost just one game in the group stages. Cranstone’s 235 runs at an average of 58.8 at the top of the order was the second highest tally in the competition. Bryony Smith took 11 wickets at just 13.2 to lead the way with the ball. There was more semi-final heartbreak however, as the Stars fell to a final over defeat against the Central Sparks in a low-scoring thriller.

2023: So near and yet so far

The Stars were looking to go one better in 2023 and new signing Paige Scholfield, who joined from the Vipers, showed the team mean business straight away. Scholfield smashed centuries in two of her first three innings in a Stars shirt making 111* against the Thunder and then 134* against the Western Storm to get the team off to a flyer. 2023 was the first year where all teams played each other home and away and the increased fixture list brought greater balance across the group with no side winning more than seven of the 14 games.

The CEC remained at seven fixtures in total and despite their previous success in the competition, the Stars struggled for results early on – losing three of the first four fixtures – despite putting in some excellent performances. Defeat at the Kia Oval off the last ball against the Northern Diamonds left the Stars struggling to qualify for the knockouts and despite winning two of the remaining three fixtures, they finished fifth in the group stages, seven points short of qualification. Skipper Smith ended up second in the competition runs table with 256 runs at 36.5.

The Stars had made two more mid-season signings, bringing in wicket-keeper Chloe Hill and South African Tazmin Brits, both made their mark in the RHFT, with Hill making a gutsy 63 in defeat against the Northen Diamonds and Brits a sparkling century to defeat the Sunrisers. Qualification from the groups was never secure until the final game but important innings from Alice Davidson-Richards – who made 101 against the Blaze – and Bryony Smith – 97 against the Sparks – alongside 21 wickets from Dani Gregory helped the team secure the final play-off spot. It was semi-final defeat once more however, as the new team: The Blaze won in a heavily rain affected fixture.

2024: Final season

With the news over the winter that this would be the final season before the transition away from regional set-ups, the Stars were determined to secure silverware once more. In the RHFT the campaign got off to a flyer, beating long time rivals the Vipers in a brilliant game at Beckenham. Promoted to open the batting, Tash Farrant struck a career-high 94 in a partnership of 165 with Bryony Smith, who made 90. Before Sophia Dunkley calmly saw the team over the line with a composed 48* with three balls to spare. Farrant and Dunkley both continued their form with the bat and Ryana Macdonald-Gay impressed with the ball as the Stars continued their momentum, winning four of the first five fixtures.

That momentum carried into the CEC and the Stars won five and had a game washed out in the first six fixtures. 16 year-old left-arm spinner Tilly Corteen-Coleman burst onto the scene, taking 5/19 including four wickets in four balls against the Northern Diamonds. The team used that fast start well and finished the group stages in second place and qualified for Finals Day. Finals Day saw yet another semi-final against the Vipers and this time the Stars held their nerve. Dunkley made a quick-fire 49 and the bowling unit held their nerve to edge the opposition out by five runs. The final was one game too far and despite battling to 141, the Stars couldn’t force the win and the Blaze calmly knocked the runs off with an over and two balls to spare. Throughout the campaign, Sophia Dunkley and Paige Scholfield were vital with the bat, whilst Corteen-Coleman ended up with 16 wickets in her debut season.

With everything to play for in the RHFT, the Stars struggled for consistency during July and August as the interruptions in the schedule for the Hundred interrupted the team’s flow. With qualification in the balance at the end of August, the Stars were boosted by the return from injury of wicket-keeper batter Kira Chathli who made 86* and 80 in back-to-back games to help the side secure two vital victories. September was the Alice Davidson-Richards show. First making 79 against the Northern Diamonds to make certain of the Stars place in the play-offs. Another semi-final beckoned against familiar rivals, the Vipers. Having bowled brilliantly to restrict the opposition to 219, the Stars were in all sorts of bother at 55/4 and 131/7. Joined at the crease by Kalea Moore, ADR played a heroic knock to chase down the remaining runs without losing a wicket. She finished 90* with Moore (52*) playing an equally gutsy innings.

In the final against the Sunrisers, it took another outstanding innings from ADR to help the Stars post 212 on a tricky track at Grace Road. Having been 53/4, Davidson-Richards played a beautifully paced innings, finally out for 93 and alongside Cranstone (30) and Phoebe Franklin (33) the Stars had a total to defend. Despite the customary first over wicket for Corteen-Coleman, the Sunrisers started strongly and looked to be cruising at 85/1 when Moore, making her 50th appearance, took two quick wickets to change to complexion of the match. With the Sunrisers 121/3, still needing another 92 runs for victory, the heavens opened and no further play was possible. A disappointing way to end the Stars era but the team held their heads high, knowing that they had given their all over the five years as the South East Stars.