- Alice Monaghan, Charlotte Taylor, Nancy Harman, Chloe Hill, and Rhianna Southby have all been awarded six-month professional contracts.
- A total of 16 professionals now represent Southern Vipers – up from six players in 2020.
Southern Vipers will head into the domestic cricket season with a record 16 players on professional contracts after five more of the squad signed full-time deals.
All-rounder Alice Monaghan, spinners Charlotte Taylor and Nancy Harman, and wicket-keepers Chloe Hill and Rhianna Southby, have all been awarded six-month elite domestic professional contracts for the first time.
And with the Vipers getting their 2023 season underway later this month when they entertain Sunrisers in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy at The Ageas Bowl on 22nd April, the squad has never looked in better shape – or had more full-time players.
In signing their new deals Monaghan, Taylor, Harman, Hill, and Southby join seven other players with existing elite professionals deals with The Ageas Bowl club and four Vipers with England contracts. That is compared to just half a dozen with professional deals as recently as 2020.
Having won the Charlotte Edwards Cup and only narrowly missed out on the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy by just two runs in 2022, hopes are high among the squad that 2023 can be another successful year and see more silverware heading to The Ageas Bowl.
Adam Carty, Regional Director of Women’s Cricket at The Ageas Bowl, said the new deals were a reward for the hard work the quintet had shown over the winter and illustrated the club’s on-going commitment to professional women’s cricket.
He said: “I am delighted to be in the privileged position to be able to award these professional contracts to a group of players who have demonstrated professional characteristics and attitudes in every way but contract status this winter.
“Charlotte Edwards, our senior support team, and I have been really impressed at their focus and commitment to use this past winter to work hard toward being the best version of themselves both on and off the training ground.
“With a massive summer ahead, that will see more matches, a greater competitive challenge from an ever-improving opposition pool, and no doubt, a fluctuation in player availability, we will need a deep and meaningful squad to remain at the forefront of the elite domestic scene.
“In this group of new pros, supported by our seven existing professionals, our England quartet, and our talented retained pay-as-you-play cohort, I am positive we have the means to remain competitive across both formats, bringing continued success to the region.”
Of the five players celebrating their first professional deals, Monaghan and Taylor have been part of the Southern Vipers set up since it became a regional hub in 2020. Having come up through the ranks at Hampshire, they are superb examples of the blossoming local pathway for talented young player which has become a real focus at The Ageas Bowl.
Taylor, who made her mark on the Vipers side just five matches into her career when she took 6-34 in the inaugural final of the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, said: “I am delighted to have been awarded a contract with the Vipers. It means I can focus fully on my cricket for the summer and not have to juggle a full-time job for the first time.
“I cannot wait for the season to arrive and hopefully I can contribute to some silverware this year.”
All-rounder Monaghan and leg spinner Harman have both also represented London Spirit in The Hundred – playing under the captaincy of fellow Viper Charlie Dean.
Basingstoke-born Monaghan said: “I’m so excited to be given this opportunity. This will allow me to elevate my game to the next level, and I can put in some performances to contribute to the vipers having another successful season!”
Hill, who also captains Worcestershire, spent the 2022 season on loan to the Vipers from Central Sparks before making a permanent move at the end of the year having scored 111 runs in five innings for the Vipers with a best of 55, while Southby joined from South East Stars in November last year.
Tickets for Southern Vipers’ 2023 season are now on sale at: www.ageasbowl.com/cricket/tickets/southern-vipers/
