Maia Bouchier, the Southern Vipers allrounder, has been suspended from bowling in ECB competitions following an independent assessment of her bowling action conducted at Loughborough University.

Bouchier, 21, played a key role in Vipers' winning campaign in this summer's Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy. She scored 183 runs at 30.50 in her seven matches, including an unbeaten half-century against Western Storm, while her solitary wicket was a big one - that of Northern Diamonds' captain, Lauren Winfield-Hill, in Vipers' 38-run victory in the final at Edgbaston.

However, all told, she bowled just 18 overs in the competition, and just four after her action was reported by the standing umpires, Jeremy Lloyds and Yvonne Dolphin-Cooper, during Vipers' second match, against Storm at Bristol on August 31.

Bouchier's subsequent assessment found that the elbow extension in her bowling action exceeded the 15-degree threshold as defined in the Illegal Bowling Regulations.

She has been advised to undergo remedial work on her bowing action before requesting a re-assessment, and will remain ineligible to bowl in ECB competitions until she is able to pass an independent re-assessment of her bowling action.

The suspension follows the process set out in the ECB's Regulations for the Review of Bowlers Reported with a Suspected Illegal Bowling Action.