Laura Wolvaardt, Ashton Turner and Amanda-Jade Wellington snapped up by Manchester Originals at The Hundred Draft

• Manchester Originals select Laura Wolvaardt and Laurie Evans as their first picks in the women’s and men’s competitions
• Amanda Jade-Wellington and Ashton Turner selected as overseas players
• Josh Tongue, Katie George and Kathryn Bryce to make first appearance in The Hundred for Manchester Originals
• In the men’s competition 30 players drafted, 34 players drafted in the women’s competition
• For more information and to sign up for priority ticket access visit thehundred.com  

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 at thehundred.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.   

Over 14.1 million people tuned in to watch The Hundred action in 2022 and games will again be broadcast live on Sky Sports and BBC broadcast and digital channels throughout the competition.  

To stay up to date with the latest news, buy tickets or to sign up for priority access, visit thehundred.com or follow The Hundred, and the eight teams, on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and YouTube. 

To view all the players picked in The Hundred Draft, powered by Sage, please visit www.thehundred.com/draft.

ENDS 

Notes to Editors 

About Sage:

The Hundred Draft is powered by Sage. Sage supports insights and key decision-making moments in The Hundred. As Official Insights Partner, Sage brings fans closer to The Hundred’s big decisions, powering the Decision Review System (DRS) in broadcast and on the cricket grounds’ big screens, together with sponsoring the umpires’ kit during the competition. Across The Hundred Draft, coaches used data, analysis, and insights to help them make the crucial decisions needed to build their squads in both the men’s and women’s competitions. Sage aims to bring fans closer to the action as part of this exciting start to The Hundred.

About The Hundred: 

The Hundred is an action-packed, unmissable cricket competition that fuses world-class cricket with blockbuster entertainment. 

Combining a short, fast format of cricket, with each game lasting less than three hours, and incredible entertainment beyond the sport, The Hundred is making cricket more accessible and reaching a broader audience. It’s simple: 100 balls per team, most runs wins, so every ball counts.  

The Hundred features eight teams from seven cities, with men’s and women’s competitions taking place side by side:  Welsh Fire (Cardiff), Southern Brave (Southampton), Northern Superchargers (Leeds), London Spirit, Trent Rockets (Nottingham), Oval Invincibles (London), Manchester Originals and Birmingham Phoenix. Each teams features some of the best international and domestic cricketers from around the world, including England Men’s & Women’s World Cup winners. 

Highlight statistics from The Hundred 2022: 

• More than 500,000 people attended games across the course of the competition 
• The Hundred continued to take cricket to new audiences with more women (28%), children (22%) and families (41%) attending than in the first year 
• 2022 once again set a new global record for total attendance at a women’s cricket competition, with 271,000 people attending  
• All eight venues broke their previous best for domestic women’s attendances  
• Of the Sky and BBC TV coverage, 42% hadn’t watched any other ECB cricket in 2022 prior to The Hundred, resulting in 5.9m new viewers 
• Women (31%) and children (14%) made up a significant share of the TV audience
  

About The Hundred fixtures:

For all fixtures in The Hundred, follow this link.