With this year’s Hundred season just a few months away and the excitement starting to build once again, fans are familiarising themselves with the talent and following the 2025 Draft, Manchester Originals supporters now know who their picks are.
The local side based out of the Emirates Old Trafford, home of Lancashire County Cricket Club, has been steadily building a stronger squad year after year. With a total of seven new players added to the roster across the men’s and women’s teams, they’re looking more competitive than ever.
With The Hundred‘s official draft taking place this past Wednesday, 12 March, Manchester Originals managed to tie down four female players and five men, including some seriously sought-after names.
First off, former Aussie batsman and men’s head coach Simon Katich chose mystery spinner, Noor Ahmad as the first male pick, before securing New Zealand all-rounder Rachin Ravindra, who was recently named ‘Player of the Tournament’ in the 2025 Champions Trophy with 263 runs.
As for the other 2025 draft picks, Lewis Gregory, Ben McKinney and George Garton complete this year’s Manchester Originals squad to round off a strong domestic core.
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Now, onto the women: new head coach Michael Klinger pulled off a real coup by bringing back hard-hitting all-rounder Deandra Dottin as the first pick – a real statement signing for the Originals.
Similarly, Seren Smale and Ella McCaughan will be making their debuts for Manchester club and, better still, fellow all-rounder Alice Monaghan is also returning after an impressive first season last year.
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Dottin said of her return: “I’m so excited to be back at Manchester Originals. I loved playing for them in 2023 and The Hundred is a great tournament to be involved in. Our squad is looking so strong with Beth Mooney and Sophie Ecclestone so I think we’ve got a great opportunity to make a statement this summer.”
New addition and former Hundred-winner with Trent Rockets (2022), Gregory, also had only positive things to say about his arrival: “I’ve had some good memories of playing against the Originals in the past so looking forward to joining them this season.
“With Jos Buttler, Phil Salt and Rachin Ravindra, we’ve got some of the best players in the world and I’m looking forward to playing alongside them. Old Trafford will be a new home ground for me but I’m sure it’ll be bouncing during the whole of August with the people of Manchester behind the team.”
This year’s Hundred fixtures dropped back in January and Manchester Originals get their campaign underway with a double-header at home on Wednesday, 6 August against Southern Brave, before heading to the capital to face men’s champions, Oval Invincibles, just three days later.
With London Spirit’s women’s team lifting their first trophy in 2024, each opponent looks to be getting stronger year after year, which only makes things more difficult for us fans in 0161 but all the better for the neutral and the overall spectacle.
As for tickets, there is still a priority window for fans who sign up in advance, with best-value tickets available between 1-15 April before general sale admission goes live on 17 April, where prices are still set at £5 for juniors aged 3-15 (free for under 3s) and adults starting from £14.
Six Nations to stay free-to-air as broadcasters strike new TV deal
Danny Jones
Good news for rugby fans as the Guinness Six Nations is set to remain free-to-air for the foreseeable future following a new deal being struck between the competition and its current broadcasters.
With the 2025 tournament approaching its conclusion, the organisers are already looking ahead to the next year and how to contest will be marketed, with many predicting the rights to be snapped up by a major sporting channel.
Fortunately, however, the Six Nations‘ present coverage partners have managed to keep the games as part of the current TV license package after striking a new four-year deal.
The agreement between BBC and ITV, who air all of the annual fixtures between them at the moment, will see the pair host the matches until 2029 at the very least.
As mentioned, it was thought that broadcasters and streaming platforms like TNT Sports might secure the licensing for at least part of the tournament as they continue to expand their large and varied service but, for now, UK coverage is staying right where it is.
Under the new contract, ITV will show 10 games per season, including every England match, while the BBC will air the remaining five fixtures.
BBC will also host all Wales and Scotland home games bar when the two nations play England at Murrayfieldand the Principality Stadiums, respectively.
Better still, not only will the men’s competition be staying free-to-air but BBC will continue to show every game during the Women’s Six Nations as the interest in female rugby continues to grow.
In fact, it’s having quite a boom here in Greater Manchester on its own.
Greater Mancs making strides for the next generation.
This year’s tournament has been as blockbuster and nail-baiting as ever, with England still in with a chance of winning the whole thing if they beat Wales with a bonus point – provided France fail to beat Scotland in the final game.
England’s last game gets underway at 4:45pm and it’s all to play for.
You can find all the best places to watch the remainder of the action down below:
Featured Images — Sum_of_Marc (via Flickr)/Guinness Six Nations
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Manchester United fans spot amusing messages on Bruno Fernandes’ match ball
Danny Jones
Manchester United have made it through to the quarter-finals of the Europa League following what can only be described as a captain’s performance by Bruno Fernandes, who scored a hattrick to take home the match ball.
He may have been given two penalties to help him on his way but still… can you see where this is going?
After Alejandro Garnacho posted a picture posing with Bruno Fernandes, it didn’t take much zooming in to spot a couple of sarcastic scribbles from other members of the squad. Who knows who wrote what or what else is written on there? All we know is it gave us a good chuckle.
In case you can’t quite see for yourselves, just to the right-hand side of the ball reads, “How much you paid the ref?”, obviously in reference to him earning not one but two penalties, at least one of which was categorised as ‘soft’ by some.
We’re referring to the first instance when Rasmus Højlund (who did almost everything but score on the night as his duck in front of goal goes on) went to ground and did enough to earn them an equaliser through Bruno‘s first spot-kick.
Nevertheless, it was one of three penalties awarded on the night and there could have even been a fourth were it not for Patrick Dorgu, who won himself a second pen after falling in the box before ultimately urging the referee to overturn the decision once it went to VAR.
A particularly rare moment of sportsmanship which manager Ruben Amorim applauded, telling media “I’m proud of him” – though he did joke he’d think differently if they were still 0-0 at the time.
But besides the penalty jibes, the other discernible message left on Bruno’s match ball that has tickled Reds is the one that reads: “You were still s*** [in the] first of the half of the season.”
Always good to keep your footballing colleagues humble by continuing to take the mick no matter what.
As for the man of the match performance itself, it’s been one of a number by the ‘Portuguese Magnifico’ this season and despite Man United legend Roy Keane having taken aim at the 30-year-old regarding his leadership qualities recently, he only seems to have been lofted by the criticism.
Amorim, naturally, was full of praise for his midfield talisman, insisting that he can thrive both further up the pitch and in this current deeper role, before going on to say: “He’s a perfect captain for our team and we need to help him to win titles because he deserves a lot.”
You can watch the highlights from the chaotic down below:
Danny Jones -
14th March 2025 
