Johnston re-signs with 'Canes, aligns state and WBBL deals

Young allrounder Ruth Johnston has aligned her state and Big Bash allegiances, inking a two-year deals with both Hobart Hurricanes and Tasmania in the WNCL.

The promising talent will extend her time with the Weber WBBL club until at least the end of the 2025-26 summer, joining fellow young gun Hayley Silver-Holmes in signing a two-year extension with the Hurricanes.

The 21-year-old allrounder also joins the Tigers' WNCL program after being released by her native Queensland on Monday, with the state preparing to chase a fourth consecutive WNCL title and the Hurricanes their first ever WBBL championship.

Johnston was part of the Queensland side that lost to Tasmania in last season's WNCL final – her only appearance of the campaign, with the right-hander unable to break into a consistent Fire outfit.

"The Tigers have been setting the standard for the WNCL for the past few seasons, and to have the chance to be part of the program was exciting," Johnston said.

"I love playing in Tasmania for the Hurricanes, so it has made the decision to move to the Tigers program an easy one.

"I'm super excited to be playing for the Hurricanes for two more seasons.

"They gave me an opportunity to play in the WBBL when I was young, so I am confident that I can help contribute to their success this year and in coming seasons."

Alongside Silver-Holmes, Johnston joins Heather Graham, Amy Smith, Molly Strano, Rachel Trenaman as part of the Hurricanes list for the coming Weber WBBL|10 season.

Queenslander Johnston signed with the Hurricanes before the WBBL|07 season and has played 41 games out of a possible 42 since.

After injuries hit the Hurricanes ahead of WBBL|07, the then 18-year-old was called on to open the batting for her first WBBL season alongside captain Rachel Priest. She thrived with 199 runs for the campaign, headlined by a top score of 63 in a player of the match performance against the Renegades.

A right arm off-spinner, Johnston also showed her potential with the ball finishing with 13 wickets for the season including best figures of 4-8 against Melbourne Stars in her third match.

Johnston played every match of WBBL|09, continuing to develop her game after the heights reached in her debut season for the club.

The contracting window for WBBL|10 opened earlier this month with each club needing to build a primary squad of 15 players by the commencement of the season, which must include a minimum of two overseas players selected via the draft.

The lottery to determine the WBBL|10 Draft order has been earmarked for June with the draft proposed to again take place in September.

WBBL|10 will be the first to feature 40 regular season games – down from 56 last season – in a revamped format that brings the league in line with the men's Big Bash.