Davina Perrin made history as the first player ever signed at The Hundred Auction, with Birmingham Phoenix securing the talented batter for £50,000.
The UK’s first-ever major sports auction took place in the iconic Picadilly Lights in London and 19-year-old Perrin was the first player randomly drawn for bidding, and Phoenix Performance Director James Thomas and Head Coach Ali Maiden beat Sunrisers Leeds to her signature.
Phoenix quickly followed that by securing England star and former Welsh Fire captain Tammy Beaumont for £70,000, stealing a march on their rivals.
From the Tier 1 batters, Phoenix signed Emma Lamb for £27,500 which means she’ll return to Edgbaston Stadium for the second consecutive year.
The auction team then broke the six-figure barrier for the first time with the eye-catching signing of left-arm spinner Linsey Smith for £100,000, after the England star spent the last few years with Manchester Super Giants.
Phoenix then pounced for Australian all-rounder Alana King. Looking like she would go unsold, the paddle went up as the hammer was about to drop, and with no opposition, Phoenix secured her services for an impressive £37,500.
Head Coach Maiden said: “I’m really excited by the levels and the blend of experience and youth in the team. We’ve got a lot of good athletes, a lot of up and coming talent, but also a lot of tried and tested talent.
“People like Linsey Smith, she’s a proven performer in the competition. Tammy Beaumont, obviously the same. Davina’s obviously a shining light coming through and we get her back at Edgbaston.
“The whole thing feels like a really nice balance that we’ve created. I’m really pleased. Hopefully they all have a good beginning of the summer and can turn up fresh and fit and ready to go.”
The afternoon session contained the nominations phase of the auction, with teams being required to nominate players with the auction continuing in descending order based on how popular each player was.
The auction team had a run of exciting business, signing three players in the space of 15 minutes, bringing the experienced Cordelia Griffith, young gun Phoebe Brett and seamer Eva Gray into the squad.
Brett was a Birmingham Phoenix wildcard pick in last year’s Hundred competition, after making her mark for the Warwickshire Bears in the Vitality Blast and returns to Birmingham for the 2026 summer.
Rookie Jemima Spence was the next signing, and is set to make her debut in the Hundred at the Phoenix this season. That was followed by another player whose stock rose during last year’s Blast competition. Esmae MacGregor is another impressive young bowler who will improve the depth of an already strong bowling attack.
With the auction slowing towards its close, the Phoenix team made two final signings to round off the squad. The first is multi-format South African International Annerie Dercksen, who brings exceptional all-round ability to the squad. And she was joined by uncapped Eve O’Neill, a highly thought of off spinner with experience playing the U19 World Cup with England.
The women’s squad of 16 is settled now until the wildcard picks later this year, with the opportunity to add two further players ahead of the start of the tournament.
The 12 players acquired during the auction add to direct signings earlier this year, including Captain Ellyse Perry, England bowler Lauren Filer, all-rounder Alice Capsey and Australian seamer Lucy Hamilton.
With a mixture of world-class talent, true greats of the game, and rising stars, the Phoenix squad is shaping up nicely for a massive summer of cricket.
