Western Storm confirmed their place at Kia Super League finals day, despite their match against arch-rivals Southern Vipers being rained off in Bristol.

Put into bat beneath leaden skies, Vipers advanced to 62-2 at the end of the eighth over before bad weather moved in.

Following an inspection, umpires Rob White and Chris Watts adjudged the outfield too wet to permit further play and decided they had no alternative but to abandon the game.

Both sides take two points, an outcome that means defending champions Storm are guaranteed a place at finals day in Hove on August 27.

Second-from-bottom of the table and playing catch-up, the Vipers - 2016 champions - desperately needed victory at the Brightside Ground if they were to keep alive their dwindling hopes of qualifying for finals day.

Heavily beaten by Storm just a couple of weeks earlier, Vipers were further inconvenienced when skipper Suzie Bates lost the toss and opposite number Heather Knight inserted them.

And the visitors suffered an early blow, England World Cup star Tammy Beaumont giving Freya Davies the charge and losing her off stump without scoring. 

The second wicket pair were moving smoothly through the gears until a rain break interrupted their concentration, and Danni Wyatt delivered a bottom-edged cut into the gloves of Rachel Priest to give Danielle Gibson a wicket upon the resumption. 

Suzi Bates advanced to 26 not out off 24 deliveries, but returning rain forced the players off once more with the score on 62-2 at the end of the eighth over.

As low cloud billowed in and conditions worsened, umpires White and Watts decided there was no further prospect of play and abandoned the match at 4.45pm.

Storm skipper Knight said: "It's disappointing, because we've been on a really good run of form and, when you're playing well, you want to keep on playing.

"But we're in a good position and we'll take the outcome and move on.

"We have two really big games coming up against Loughborough Lightning and Surrey Stars, and we want to finish the group stage in style if we can."