Born in October 2000, Rhianna Mae Southby is a right-handed batter and wicket-keeper renowned for her lightning-fast hands behind the stumps. She began her county career in 2016, debuting for Surrey at age 15, and played a key role in their promotion to Division One of the T20 County Championship.

She credits her early development to coaching at local clubs like Sunbury CC and Ashford Ladies, and her supportive father, Ian, who took pride in her early success.

Southby’s early promise saw her feature in the Surrey Stars squad for the KIA Super League in 2018 and 2019, contributing to back-to-back titles. In 2020, she joined South East Stars and led the team in dismissals in that season’s Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy.

In 2022, she recorded her first List-A half-century and subsequently moved to Southern Vipers on a permanent deal. Awarded her first professional contract in April 2023, she delivered a standout season, making 15 dismissals across 14 Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy matches and helping the Vipers achieve a historic double by winning both regional titles.

Turning heads in The Hundred, Southby played for Southern Brave and set a tournament record with four dismissals—two catches and two stumpings—in a single match, earning Player of the Match honours despite not batting or bowling.

Her excellence continued into 2024, where she achieved 23 dismissals for Southern Vipers across the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy and Charlotte Edwards Cup, making her one of the most prolific wicket-keepers of the season. 

In 2025, the London-born cricketer played for the Southern Brave in The Hundred. 

On the international pathway, Southby has earned selection for England A tours to India and New Zealand, where her glovework continued to impress.

Off the field, Southby is comfortable in front of cameras—her reaction to viral clips of her glovework in The Hundred reflects her down-to-earth attitude: “It’s quite nice to get that recognition for working hard behind the scenes…I got quite used to there being a camera there,” she said. 

Her family’s enthusiastic presence at matches hasn’t gone unnoticed either; fans recall her granddad’s hilarious comments from the crowd during The Hundred final.

Notably, her Southern Brave teammate Maia Bouchier has credited Southby for helping the former to come to terms with her LGBTQ identity.

"I've known her (Southby) for years, and she was one of the first people who talked to me about being gay back when we were 13/14...That was one of the conversations that stuck in my head because I remember it being so easy to talk to her about it," Bouchier said.

Southby’s evolution—from a promising young keeper to a domestic powerhouse—is a testament to her consistency, athleticism, and game awareness.

(As of August 2025)