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Suzie Bates put in a stellar all-round display as Southern Vipers secured the inaugural Women’s Super League with a convincing seven-wicket victory in Chelmsford

Adam Collins at Chelmsford21-Aug-2016
Scorecard1:58

‘You only learn from being in finals situations’ – Bates

 It was how Charlotte Edwards’ summer started back in May when moved on from the England captaincy. Still making runs, but not part of the future. Holding aloft the inaugural Kia Super League trophy in the late afternoon Chelmsford sun, her Southern Vipers reminded everyone that this adage has a third part to it as well: Chasing down Western Storm’s 140 for 5 with seven wickets and seven balls to spare, it was a triumph of big game experience on the big game stage. New Zealand captain Suzie Bates batted with authority to top score in the chase, tallying 52 in 46 balls after putting on 78 with Edwards at the top.Then when the game was there to be won with five overs to go and still work to do, it was Lydia Greenway – retired from England with Edwards – who took control alongside Sara McGlashan – the 34-year-old New Zealander – their unbeaten stand of 39 seeing the win home.Arran Brindle, another (in her case, long) retired England veteran wasn’t required to bat at No. 6 but was Vipers’ crucial owler instead; claiming 2 for 15 in a boundary-less middle-overs spell that stalled Western Storm’s innings that shot to 71 without loss by half way.Let’s pick up the story there. Brindle came into the attack with her medium pace after eight overs with Stafanie Taylor and Rachel Priest building an imposing stand. As Edwards said later, she was  by Brindle, her former England team-mate that she’d be taking the next over. She wanted to own the situation, and did precisely that.Her second over was successful in provoking Taylor into going over the top, miscuing to Edwards at mid-off, gone for 35. Vipers bowled first at the toss expressly on the basis that they didn’t want Taylor to bat second, having shown repeated skill in this tournament for timing her chases to perfection. With her removed (finishing with 289 runs for the tournament at 57.80, more than any other), the bowling side were immediately back in the contest.When Heather Knight was nicely held at deep-backward square leg by Katie George, then Priest was also taken in the deep for 57, Edwards’ side had got themselves out of jail. Fran Wilson’s unbeaten 16 was resourceful, and 14 were taken from the final over to push the score to an even seven-an-over, but on an excellent surface it appeared light.Enter Edwards and Bates. The two are close, playing county cricket this year for Kent and sharing a changing room for Perth Scorchers during the Women’s Big Bash League last summer in Australia. Both said after the game that they knew the deal in a situation like this: get the board ticking over early and put the pressure straight back onto the fielding team.As important as the 43 runs they scored in the six-over Powerplay were the strokes that defined these opening exchanges. They cut hard and drove straight; both along the air and over the rope in the case of the captain. They called loud and ran hard. They were the hunters, not the hunted.In the best traditions of T20 Finals, Storm fought back to create what very nearly became a grandstand finish after Edwards was bowled when misjudging a reverse sweep off Jodie Dibble. Two overs later, Bates was dismissed too after Wilson combined with Priest to run her out against the trend of play. When Georgia Adams also ran herself out the equation was 36 required in 30 balls.It was a situation perfect for McGlashan, who developed a habit of chasing down totals during the WBBL for Sydney Sixers. She immediately reduced the task to an even 28 from 28 after carving Georgia Hennessy past point and then behind square leg in consecutive deliveries.When Greenway connected with one of her trademark reverse sweeps the next over, it all of a sudden came down to whether Anya Shrubsole could remove one or both of the now-set batsmen in the 18th over with 20 runs to play with. Instead, she shed 14 from it, Greenway successfully picking her over midwicket before the England opener sprayed an untimely five wides down the legside.When Greenway saw a half volley on the penultimate delivery of the penultimate over she didn’t miss out, driving Freya Davies to the boundary and Vipers to victory.The victorious charge to the middle may have been a little slower than for some of the youthful opponents they had seen off through the tournament, but it was no less enthusiastic. Nor was the response by administrators, who despite the modest showing of 1353 patrons on Finals Day praised the tournament as comfortably exceeding expectations in season one.”I think our experience really counted in the end,” Edwards said. “It’s been a special few months and you hope to get to finals day and put in a performance like that.””It has been an emotional tournament,” she added. “I had to deal with quite a lot this summer and the team wanted to kind of win it for us… I have really sensed the team behind me.”Next summer the Super League will expand to also encompass the 50-over game, to be played in the lead up to the Women’s World Cup scheduled for June and July. As for Edwards, her international career may be over, she promises one thing for Vipers fans: she’ll be back.

Liverpool are believed to be closing in on a £70m deal for Brighton midfielder Alexis Mac Allister, according to an exciting new transfer rumour.

Will Mac Allister leave Brighton this summer?

The Seagulls star has enjoyed a brilliant season in the Premier League, scoring 10 goals but impressing with his all-round game in the middle of the park. He has also become a World Cup winner during the campaign, tasting glory with Argentina back in December, as his reputation has soared.

It is no surprise to see Mac Allister being linked with a move to some of English's biggest clubs this summer, with his time at Brighton almost certainly coming to an end. Liverpool are arguably the team who have been most strongly tipped to snap up the 24-year-old, as they look to make major midfield reinforcements.

Now, a new claim has emerged, suggesting the Reds could be closer than ever to getting their man.

Is Mac Allister heading to Liverpool?

According to The Mirror, Liverpool are "ready to end the race for World Cup winner Alexis Mac Allister with a £70million deal", with the Argentine "ready to commit his future" to the Merseysiders. Manchester United and Arsenal are also credited with interest, but negotiations with the Reds are "a long way down the line".

This is such an exciting update for Liverpool, with Mac Allister someone who could be absolutely perfect for them for so many reasons. He is an outstanding midfielder, possessing a combination of technical ability, end product, hard work and a good team ethic, with Sergio Aguero hailing him as a "very intelligent" footballer.

The Brighton ace is tailor-made to thrive in one of the No.8 roles currently being taken up by the likes of Jordan Henderson and Curtis Jones, with over two touches in the penalty area per 90 minutes, but also being defensively solid and providing over two tackles per game (via FBref).

At 24, the £50k-per-week ace Mac Allister should also only get better in the coming years, so Liverpool would be signing him as both an immediate starter and also someone who could remain at Anfield for close to a decade. It is a transfer that has so few negatives to it, if any, and it is now a case of the Reds making sure they beat the competition. A top-four finish would certainly help, in that respect, although that is still looking unlikely ahead of the final few games.

Manchester City imposed their dominance over Arsenal with a 4-1 win at the Etihad, taking the destiny of the Premier League title into their control. From start to finish, the hosts took charge of the game which was rewarded by their first goal coming in just the sixth minute of play.

The win took Pep Guardiola’s side within two points of current leaders Arsenal and with two games in hand on the Gunners, the title is City’s to lose as they sit in the driving seat. The Sky Blues are on their way to becoming champions for the fifth time in six seasons, cementing their dominance over the rest.

The current champions toyed with Arsenal, governing proceedings and ended the game with 2.54xG compared to the visitors 0.48xG and four goals to show for their performance.

Strikes from John Stones and Erling Haaland, plus a brace from man-of-the-match Kevin De Bruyne shattered Mikel Arteta’s squad’s hopes of bringing home the north Londoners first title since 2004, however the goalscorers weren’t the only stand-out performers for City on the night.

In the absence of Nathan Ake, there was a lot of speculation before the match as to who would line up on the left side of the back three. The Dutchman was a monumental influence in keeping Saka quiet when the teams met in the FA Cup, so his replacement naturally would have a huge task to pass.

How well did Manuel Akanji play against Arsenal?

When the likes of De Bruyne and Haaland stole the headlines, Akanji was integral to City’s dominance over Arsenal in defence in place of Ake on the left side.

The Swiss defender typically lines up in the centre of the back three, however after exercising his abilities on the right against Bayern Munich in the Champions League last week, Guardiola placed his trust in the 27-year-old to maintain Bukayo Saka.

Saka, who has been one of the most in-form forwards this season, sitting at number one in the Premier League for dribbles (223) and 1vs1 index statistics that support claims of his danger on Arsenal’s right side.

During a difficult night for the Gunners at the Etihad, the £180k-per-week machine suppressed any threat the Hale End graduate could produce highlighted by his lack of touches in the game (35) and only recording two successful dribbles.

The lack of noise from Arteta’s wide players was attributable to City’s ability to marshal at the back. Akanji in particular, who won five out of eight of his ground duels, whilst maintaining a passing accuracy of 92%.

The £15m defender was positive on the ball, registering 65 touches in 90 minutes in a role that showcased the versatility of his game in a different position.

Guardiola was full of praise for the Swiss after the game, applauding his “intelligent” and “controlled” performance, as well as celebrating the adaptability the 27-year-old showed playing on the left: “Normally he is a central defender, he played right-back and now left-back.”

His performance was commanding when it mattered most, giving his manager something to think about when debating the reintroduction of Aymeric Laporte, who missed out solely down to Akanji’s efficiency.

After previously premature suggestions that Manchester United were potential title contenders, the reality is that Erik ten Hag's side are now set for a scrap just to secure a top-four berth, following another abject display on the road against Newcastle United on Sunday.

Goals from Joe Willock and Callum Wilson secured a deserved 2-0 win for the Magpies on the day at St James' Park, with the visitors having now won just three of their last nine Premier League games.

A major concern for United at present will be their shortcomings in attack, with the Carabao Cup winners having now failed to score in each of their last three top-flight games, having also been rather lifeless before Fulham's late implosion in the FA Cup quarter-final clash prior to the international break.

While there will undoubtedly be focus on the woes of January arrival, Wout Weghorst, who has scored just twice in 19 successive starts for the club, the Dutchman was not the only forward player to have distinctly underwhelmed on Tyneside, with teammate Marcus Rashford also proving rather "anonymous" – as per journalist Thomas Hammond.

How did Rashford perform against Newcastle?

Having enjoyed a well-earned rest over the past week or so after pulling out of the England squad through injury, the 25-year-old would likely have been hoping to get back firing again against Eddie Howe's men, although was ultimately something of a spare part in truth yesterday.

The previously prolific marksman – who has 27 goals in all competitions this season at club level – produced a "really bad" display against the Tynesiders, according to journalist Thomas Alencar, with his 6.1 match rating, as per Sofascore, the worst of any United player.

That grim rating was frankly warranted as the £200k-per-week ace lost 100% of his ground duels and squandered possession on ten occasions as a marker of his woes both defensively and offensively, while his tally of 31 touches was even lower than that of teammate David De Gea (42) in the sticks.

Such a surprising lack of impact – which also saw Rashford fail to complete his two dribble attempts nor register a single key pass – was seemingly noted by his manager post-match, with Ten Hag stating that his side offered "nothing" down the left side.

The Englishman's grim outing was epitomised late on as he merely passed the ball straight into the gloves of compatriot Nick Pope after attempting to slide a teammate through on goal, having been merely 'ineffectual' on the right or left flank, as per Manchester Evening News journalist, Samuel Luckhurst.

While Rashford had previously appeared something of an "unstoppable" attacking weapon – as per his manager – on the evidence of recent games the academy graduate has been more of a blunt instrument, having now gone three league games without a goal, while also coming up short against the Cottagers.

The 5 ft 11 gem's last goal came in the Europa League, second-leg win away at Real Betis, although even that stunning effort had come following what was a 'sloppy' individual display, as per Luckhurst, with concern perhaps brewing that the wide man is beginning to lose momentum following what has been a breathtaking individual campaign to date.

Perhaps it is merely a case of injury or the result of simply being overworked, yet Rashford has not looked like his usual self in recent games – albeit with a brief downturn in performances perhaps expected after a relentless run of standout showings over the past few months.

With the Manchester native having largely shouldered the goalscoring burden on his own this season – with Bruno Fernandes the only other player to reach double figures for goals in all competitions – it now appears time for someone else to step up to the plate.

Trying to see just who that might be, however, seems rather difficult at present…

Manchester City are one of a number of clubs interested in signing Benjamin Pavard during the summer transfer window, according to a new report.

Is Pavard off in the summer?

This summer is hopefully going to be another fruitful one for City in the transfer market as they look to make their squad even more formidable by adding fresh legs. Full-back could be an area of the pitch to strengthen with Kyle Walker now in his thirties and Joao Cancelo's future up in the air after joining Bayern Munich on loan.

One player who could potentially be on the move at the end of the season is Pavard, who is currently a key figure for Bayern. The France World Cup winner has started 20 Bundesliga matches this season, as well as appearing seven times in the Champions League.

The 27-year-old is out of contract in the summer of 2024, so this year could be the last opportunity to receive a decent amount of money for his signature, meaning he could move on to pastures new this summer. It looks as though there could be a scrap to sign Pavard in the upcoming window, following a fresh update.

Could Frenchman head to Man City?

According to 90min, City are in the hunt to sign Pavard from Bayern, although they are far from alone in expressing their interest. Manchester United and Real Madrid are the other top clubs who are believed in the conversation. All three clubs are keen on "bolstering" their right-back options and they see the France international as a strong option to bring in.

He may not be the most attack-minded full-back in the game – he has only registered one assist in the league this season – but he is a defensively astute player with a wealth of experience and a winning mentality, as highlighted by his World Cup triumph back in 2018.

With Uli Hoeness lauding him as "wonderful" in the past, Pavard could be seen as a strong option to rival Walker for minutes moving forward, easing the Englishman's workload as he gets older in the process and proving to be an intelligent signing who learns the City system quickly.

Having great squad depth can be key for a team like City who are battling on maximum fronts each year, and the Bayern defender could be someone who comes in and simply does a solid job – possibly even enjoying his best years of his career at the Etihad.

Glasgow Rangers’ transfer business has been well documented throughout the previous 25 years, with plenty of money being spent in order to vastly improve the squad and progress in Europe, especially under former chairman Sir David Murray.

The club won nine league titles in a row between 1988 and 1997 and in the first few years after the millennium, Murray wanted the Ibrox side to take the next step and become a European force. Of course, millions would need to be spent to achieve this goal, and they were, just ultimately on the wrong players.

When manager Dick Advocaat splash out £6.5m on Everton defender Michael Ball back in 2001, it looked as though the Light Blues had signed a player of considerable quality. It didn’t quite work out well for the left-back unfortunately during his spell at the club.

How much did Michael Ball cost Rangers?

At the time, the deal to bring Ball to Ibrox was the second highest in the club’s history and much hype was generated upon his arrival.

He missed 18 months of football early on in his Rangers career due to knee problems suffered at Everton and this heavily impacted the trajectory of his career.

The Englishman played just nine matches during his first season at the club and missed the whole of the 2002/2003 treble winning campaign.

40 matches in 2003/2004 was his best season at the Glasgow side, although in his last few years, he had to come to a strange agreement with Murray. If Ball played one more match, Rangers would have to pay another £500k to Everton and with the Gers short on money, Ball agreed to pay per appearance.

He said: "I remember it was a match at Ibrox when the gaffer Alex McLeish said the chairman wanted to see me – that's when he put the idea to me.

"Alex asked how it went, and I was still a little bit shocked about what had just happened.

"I had agreed to pay £4000 every time I played so they could pay Everton.

"I wasn't sure if I had got it right. We had a bit of a chuckle about it and later that day I came on as a sub with a few minutes left. I remember thinking 'that's just cost me four grand'!"

All in all, he made 67 appearances for the club across five and half seasons, which works out at around £97k per game in relation to his initial transfer fee – excluding wages – and this simply wasn’t money that Rangers could afford to waste.

If he managed to keep himself fit, there is no doubt he could have enjoyed a wonderful career in Scotland, however it proved to be a massive transfer shocker by Murray.

Southampton will welcome Leicester City to the south coast in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon, and manager Ruben Selles will be desperate for a positive result to narrow the four-point gulf from safety.

Indeed, Saints are currently bottom of the league table after 24 matches with just 18 points, and a win could place the outfit just one point behind Leeds United in 17th, who face Chelsea away from home this weekend.

Despite winning at Stamford Bridge themselves two weeks ago – in Selles’ first outing in the dugout since Nathan Jones’ dismissal – the Hampshire-based club have lost ten of their past 12 league encounters, and further woes against the Foxes could prove to be the hammer blow that eradicates any ounce of confidence in rectifying the sombre situation.

And given that League Two outfit Grimsby Town defeated Saints on their own ground in the FA Cup fifth round a matter of days prior, the importance of a positive response has not been so profound for some time for the club.

With this in mind, this is how Football FanCast expects Southampton to field their eleven against Leicester, seeking to attain an invaluable victory…

How might Southampton line up against Leicester?

Predicted XI: (GK) Bazunu; (RB) Maitland-Niles, (CB) Bednarek, (CB) Bella-Kotchap, (LB) Perraud; (RM) Aribo, (CM) Lavia, (CM) Ward-Prowse, (LM) Elyounoussi; (ST) Sulemana, (ST) Onuachu.

Southampton’s Spanish boss could make as many as six changes to the side that were dismally felled by the Mariners in midweek.

Gavin Bazunu will deputise between the sticks once again, while Ainsley Maitland-Niles could replace Kyle Walker-Peters at right-back; Jan Bednarek and Armel Bella-Kotchap will unite in central defence once again, having kept a clean sheet at Chelsea before shipping just once against the Whites.

In midfield, the impressive Romeo Lavia will retain his robust role, while the “elite” – as dubbed by Ian Wright – captain James Ward-Prowse will return to the fold after making an impact off the bench in the FA Cup, providing two key passes and one assist in that second-half cameo.

On the wide flanks, Joe Aribo and Norwegian star Mohamed Elyounoussi will hope to bring a dynamic dimension to the fold, with the former, a £10m signing from Rangers in the summer, making his first league start of 2023.

Imposing forward and wily young winger Kamaldeen Sulemana will form an offensive partnership once more, hoping to finally break the oppositions resistance and bear fruit for their new outfit, with the “disappointing” – as branded by Jacob Tanswell – Adam Armstrong pushed back to the bench after failing to impress against Grimsby.

Newcastle United have reportedly made Fulham left-back Antonee Robinson their ‘top target’ this summer.

The Lowdown: Standout performer

Robinson has been a standout performer in a Fulham side looking to push for European qualification after just being promoted from the Championship last season.

The left-back won six of his duels in the 1-0 win away at Brighton and Hove Albion in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon, and also completed a team-high three successful dribbles, as well as three clearances, one tackle, one key pass and two accurate crosses (SofaScore).

He also impressed at the FIFA World Cup in Qatar with the USA, where ESPN journalist Luis Miguel Echegaray hailed him as ‘magnificent’.

The Latest: Top target

As per Football Insider, Newcastle have made Robinson their ‘top target’ as they look to bring in a new left-back this summer.

Magpies scouts have watched him regularly this campaign, and have given ‘rave reviews’ over his performances.

Eddie Howe wants to sign an attack-minded left-back with ‘more pace’, and Robinson fits the bill, but they will face competition from Manchester City, AC Milan and Inter Milan for his signature.

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The Verdict: Get it done

Although Dan Burn has been filling in well at left-back this term, he is primarily a out of favour, the St. James’ Park outfit should be looking for a player to come in and make the position his own.

Robinson is certainly capable of doing that, having played in every Premier League game for Fulham when he has been available, and at 25 years of age, he could be a starter in the North East for the next few years.

Incidentally, he shares the same agent as Howe, which could make a deal easier to do come the summer, providing that they can come up with the right price.

Aston Villa lost for the first time in the Premier League in 2023 as they were beaten 4-2 on their own turf by Leicester City on Saturday afternoon.

Villa had the lead early on Ollie Watkins put them 1-0 up with an excellent finish to score on the rebound from Emi Buendia’s effort that hit the crossbar.

However, Boubacar Kamara was left with his head in his hands after being dispossessed in his own box just moments later, which led to James Maddison rattling in an equaliser.

Harry Souttar’s own goal put the hosts in front again but goals from Kelechi Iheanacho, Tete and Dennis Praet ensured that Brendan Rodgers’ side picked up all three points.

Whilst Kamara was at fault for the opening goal with a sloppy concession in his own box, the real villain of the match was certainly left-back Lucas Digne.

The France international’s defending for Leicester’s second goal was particularly shocking. He allowed Iheanacho to get goal side of him from a simple crossing position, after Tyrone Mings stepped across the box, and stood still as the Nigerian international pounced on the opportunity to head past Emi Martinez.

Digne was also caught high up the pitch for Tete’s goal and left Mings isolated against the tricky Brazilian winger, which allowed the forward to run off the back of the centre-back to score the third goal for the Foxes.

In the first half, the former Everton defender lost 100% (2/2) of his individual duels and failed to make a single tackle or interception, whilst completing 81% of his attempted passes, as per Sofascore.

The 29-year-old’s woeful display in the opening 45 minutes was enough to convince Unai Emery to substitute the Frenchman as Alex Moreno came on to replace him.

Kamara, meanwhile, won nine of his 15 battles, including 100% (3/3) of his aerial duels, and made three tackles and one interception for the side, as per Sofascore.

The former Marseille gem put his early mistake behind him to compete well in the middle of the park and largely dominated the opposition in his physical contests.

Whereas, Digne should be held accountable for two of the goals that Villa conceded and also contributed very little in defence before being taken off, as the dud was dominated by Leicester’s forwards.

Therefore, the left-back was worse than Kamara as the 29-year-old dud struggled badly and did not make up for his error for Iheanacho’s goal, whilst the defensive midfielder was, at least, able to make a number of defensive contributions in an attempt to make up for his own errors.

Chelsea have been linked with a host of right-backs this season, with standout performer Reece James shackled to the medical department for large proportions of the campaign and veteran skipper Cesar Azpilicueta approaching the twilight phase of his career at Stamford Bridge.

Multiple names have indeed been touted with a move to SW6, and Kyle Walker-Peters has become the latest addition to the rumour mill, with talkSPORT’s Alex Crook stating that the Blues are set to rival Manchester United for the Southampton full-back.

The Red Devils are said to be looking to replace Aaron Wan-Bissaka, who has been linked with a move away from Old Trafford, while Chelsea indeed need a player of top-class quality to bolster the right-back position given James’ recent injury woes. 

The 25-year-old has been catching the eye for the Saints since joining from Tottenham Hotspur in 2020 for £12m, after initially impressing out on loan with the south coast outfit. Meanwhile, Spurs are also keeping tabs on the player’s availability following his previous departure from the club, as per the aforementioned report. 

Southampton are currently confined to the Premier League relegation zone, having won just three of their 18 top-flight matches this season, but Walker-Peters can hold his head high after maintaining a solid level of performance amid the relative mediocrity at St Mary’s.

So far this season, the £20k-per-week defender has made 14 appearances in the league, scoring one goal, creating two big chances and averaging 0.7 key passes, 1.7 tackles and 1.4 clearances per match, as per Sofascore.

Displaying respectable numbers to his offensive game despite plying his trade for a languishing team who have scored just 15 goals in the league this term is a testament to his tenacity in seeking forward openings and always looking to improve the Saints’ fortunes.

A per FBref, the two-cap England international ranks within the top 3% of full-backs for dribbles completed, the top 11% for touches in the attacking penalty area and the top 27% for rate of non-penalty goals when compared to positional peers playing across Europe’s major leagues over the past year.

Chelsea boss Graham Potter must be licking his lips at the prospect of nurturing this innate offensive talent, providing him with a vivacious alternative to the injury-plagued James and an increased attacking impetus from the full-back areas.

Hailed as “outstanding” by Danny Higginbotham in 2022, Walker-Peters ought to be slowly edging towards a move to a European-challenging outfit considering his displays in a struggling team.

With Southampton attempting to stave off the threat of relegation, Potter’s mission to secure the marauding full-back could be made a whole lot easier should the Saints indeed fall into the Championship.