Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy: Sunrisers beat Southern Vipers for first ever win
- Published
Sunrisers had not won any of their previous 20 Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy matches
Abtaha Maqsood took 5-30 as Sunrisers beat Southern Vipers by 126 runs to claim a first victory in the history of the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy.
Sunrisers had failed to win a match in the three previous editions of the competition but Maqsood's maiden List A five-for helped them defend 288-7.
England's Mady Villiers also took 3-52 having earlier top scored with 70.
Elsewhere, defending champions Northern Diamonds beat Western Storm and South East Stars and The Blaze also won.
Sunrisers had lost 19 of their 20 matches since the competition began in 2020, with the other fixture a no-result.
But they broke their duck in style against two-time champions Vipers, who were bowled out for only 162 in reply at the Ageas Bowl with spinner Maqsood running through their batting line-up.
Diamonds, who beat Vipers by two runs in last season's final, began their new campaign with a 105-run victory over Storm at Headingley.
Sent in, England batter Lauren Winfield-Hill anchored the innings with 75 before Bess Heath, with 71 off 38 balls, and Chloe Tyron, 63 off 36 deliveries, saw them post 290-8 in a rain-reduced 36 overs.
Katie Levick then took 4-36, passing 300 career wickets in the process, as Storm were bowled out for 185.
At Old Trafford, Paige Scholfield scored her first career century as Stars beat Thunder by 131 runs.
Scholfield made an unbeaten 111 from 90 balls with 11 fours and five sixes in Stars' 334-5 having won the toss.
Scholfield also took a wicket as Thunder were bowled out for 203 with West Indies' Deandra Dottin top scoring with 51.
And The Blaze beat Central Sparks by 59 runs to win the first game under their new banner, having previously played as Lightning based in Loughborough.
England opener Tammy Beaumont top scored with 60 from 77 balls as Blaze were bowled out for 212.
Emily Arlott, Grace Potts and Georgia Davis took three wickets each for Sparks.
But their chase never got going as Lucy Higham removed three of the top five and the wicket of Katie George, who top scored with 31, completed a career-best return of 5-19.