South Central Counties Cup

{{Short description|English women's cricket competition}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2022}}

{{Use British English|date=May 2022}}

{{Infobox cricket tournament main

| name = South Central Counties Cup

| image = South Central Counties Cup logo.jpg

| country = {{Flag|England}}

| administrator = Southern Vipers

| cricket format = Limited overs cricket (50 overs per side)

| tournament format = League system

| first = 2022

| last = 2023

| participants = 6

| champions = Sussex (1st title)

| most successful = Hampshire (1 title)
Sussex (1 title)

| website = {{nowrap|[https://scrcup.play-cricket.com/home South Central Regional Cup]}}

}}

The South Central Counties Cup is a domestic women's one-day cricket competition in England. Organised by the Southern Vipers regional team for the six counties that constitute the team's region in the South of England, its first edition took place in 2022. The six teams that participate in the competition are Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Dorset, Hampshire, Oxfordshire and Sussex.{{cite web|url=https://www.ageasbowl.com/cricket/news/southern-vipers-announce-brand-new-south-central-counties-cup/ |title=Southern Vipers Announce Brand-New South Central Counties Cup |publisher=The Ageas Bowl |date=17 March 2022 |access-date=31 May 2022}}

Following the end of the Women's County Championship in 2019 and the launch of the new regional structure for domestic women's cricket in England in 2020, county sides were left without any 50-over cricket. Following the launch of similar competitions such as the East of England Women's County Championship and the Women's London Championship, the South Central Counties Cup aims to provide "meaningful" 50-over cricket to the county teams in the region.{{cite web|url=https://www.thecricketer.com/Topics/womenscricket/womens_county_cricket_holding_its_own_against_regional_structure_.html |title=Women's county cricket holding its own against regional structure |publisher=the Cricketer |date=17 April 2022 |access-date=31 May 2022}}{{cite web|url=https://www.ageasbowl.com/cricket/news/preview-south-central-counties-cup,-round-one/ |title=Preview: South Central Counties Cup, Round One |publisher=The Ageas Bowl |date=30 May 2022 |access-date=31 May 2022}}

The inaugural 2022 edition of the competition took place from 30 May to 11 August, with each team playing each other once.{{cite web|url=https://scrcup.play-cricket.com/home |title=South Central Regional Cup |publisher=Play-Cricket |access-date=31 May 2022}} Hampshire won the inaugural competition, winning four of their five matches (with the other abandoned).{{cite web|url=https://www.ageasbowl.com/cricket/news/report-south-central-counties-cup,-round-five/ |title=Report: South Central Counties Cup, Round Five |publisher=The Ageas Bowl |date=12 August 2022 |access-date=17 August 2022}} The second edition of the tournament, in 2023, was won by Sussex on head-to-head record over second-placed Hampshire, after the teams finished on the same number of points and with the same net run rate (to two decimal places).{{cite web|url=https://sussexcricket.co.uk/news/sussex-women-crowned-south-central-regional-cup-winners |title=Sussex Women crowned South Central Regional Cup winners |publisher=Sussex Cricket |date=19 August 2023 |access-date=20 September 2023}}{{cite web|url=https://scrcup.play-cricket.com/website/division/112664 |title=South Central Regional Cup - 2023/Table |publisher=Play-Cricket |access-date=20 September 2023}}