Laura Wolvaardt, Amanda Jade Wellington and Ashton Turner were some of the big-names signed by Manchester Originals in The Hundred Draft, powered by Sage.
Laurie Evans and Wolvaardt were Manchester Originals’ first picks in the men’s and women’s competition, while Josh Tongue, Katie George, and Kathryn Bryce will make their first appearance for Manchester Originals this summer.
The women’s competition was staging a draft for the first time, with Grace Harris (London Spirit) and Harmanpreet Kaur (Trent Rockets) some of the other stand-out signings of the day.
The Hundred Draft saw 64 spots filled across the men’s and women’s competition, with the eight teams taking it in turns to select players – the order for selections is based on last year’s finishing positions.
The open market process will see the remaining 56 places filled in the women’s competition, while 16 spots remain up for grabs in the men’s competition by virtue of The Vitality Wildcraft Draft, which will be held in the week commencing 3 July.
Across the men’s and women’s competitions, the following players were signed for Manchester Originals:
Women
Amanda Jade Wellington, Kathryn Bryce, Katie George, Laura Wolvaardt
Men
Ashton Turner, Josh Tongue, Laurie Evans
Laura Wolvaardt, Manchester Originals’ first pick in The Hundred Draft, said: “I’m delighted to have been drafted by Manchester Originals. I loved playing in The Hundred last year and it will be fantastic to play in front of a full house at Emirates Old Trafford this summer. To be part of the first women’s draft in The Hundred was super exciting and I can’t wait to see how far we can go this year.”
Manchester Originals Men’s Head Coach, Simon Katich said: “We’re very happy that we’ve managed to keep a similar squad together in this year’s draft. Ashton Turner brings a lot of experience and was brilliant for us in 2022 so it’s great to have him back and Josh Tongue is an exciting young player who adds some firepower to our bowling attack. We’re looking to go one better this year and bring The Hundred trophy home!”
The third year of The Hundred will start with a double-header at Trent Bridge on Tuesday 1 August – the first of 34 matchdays that promise high-octane men’s and women’s sporting action, live music, and a host of family-friendly entertainment.
More than half a million people attended games during The Hundred’s second year in 2022, including a record-breaking 271,000 watching live women’s fixtures across the competition and more families buying tickets than in 2021.
Tickets are now exclusively on sale for anyone who has previously bought tickets for The Hundred until 28 March. Those yet to attend can sign up in advance atthehundred.com to get priority ticket access from 5–18 April.
Tickets will then go on general sale on Thursday 20 April. Tickets this year remain great value in line with 2022 pricing, with prices set at £5 for juniors aged 6-15, free for children five and under, and adults starting from £10.
