Press release -
Phoebe Graham returns to Manchester Originals for third year of The Hundred
The first signings of the open market stage in The Hundred women’s competition have been confirmed with Phoebe Graham back at Emirates Old Trafford for a second season.
Graham is joined at Manchester Originals by all-rounder Fi Morris – formerly of Southern Brave and Welsh Fire – and young batter Liberty Heap.
Across the eight teams, 26 signings have been announced with Heap one of six stars of England Women’s U19 World Cup team among the list, as well as Australian all-rounder Erin Burns, WPL break-out star Tara Norris and Scottish leg-spinner Abtaha Maqsood.
Through the retention window and The Hundred Draft, powered by Sage, held in March, each team signed eight players, leaving seven slots to fill in the Open Market Stage.
The final 30 signings in the women’s competition, including the final four members of the Manchester Originals squad, will be confirmed alongside The Vitality Wildcard picks in the men’s competition, due to be announced 6 July/7 July.
Manchester Originals: Liberty Heap, Phoebe Graham, Fi Morris
Birmingham Phoenix: Abtaha Maqsood, Erin Burns, Chloe Brewer, Sterre Kalis
London Spirit: Grace Scrivens, Tara Norris, Niamh Holland
Northern Superchargers: Marie Kelly, Aylish Cranstone, Phoebe Franklin
Oval Invincibles: Eva Gray, Ryana MacDonald-Gay, Kira Chathli
Southern Brave: Georgia Adams, Rhianna Southby, Danielle Gregory
Trent Rockets: Josie Groves, Emma Jones, Naomi Dattani, Alexa Stonehouse
Welsh Fire: Alex Griffiths, Claire Nicholas, Sarah Bryce
Manchester Originals will travel to Cardiff on Wednesday 2 August for their first game, a day after a double-header at Trent Bridge between Trent Rockets and Southern Brave to kick off the third year of The Hundred – 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 selling fast and are available here. 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.
Phoebe Graham said: “I can’t wait to be back out there with Manchester Originals for the third year of The Hundred. It’s a world-class competition with some of the best players in the world and brilliant crowds so you always want to be a part of it. We’ve had a few changes as a result of The Draft so I’m really looking forward to how we come together this year, hopefully we can put on a show for all our fans in Manchester.”
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 selected to play in The Hundred, please visit this link.
NOTES TO EDITORS
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.
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