Villani locked in to drive Hurricanes' push for success

Elyse Villani has confirmed she is staying put for Weber WBBL|10, signing a new two-year deal with Hobart Hurricanes as the club looks to return to the top four.

Locking in Villani, who has captained the Hurricanes for the last two years since making the move from Melbourne Stars, is another key piece of the puzzle for the club, who have also secured allrounder Nicola Carey for the upcoming season.

The 34-year-old provides invaluable experience both to the top order and as skipper, and was Hobart’s second highest run scorer behind Lizelle Lee in WBBL|09, scoring 324 at 36, with a strike rate of 116.

Hobart Hurricanes WBBL|10 squad (so far): Nicola Carey, Heather Graham, Ruth Johnston, Hayley Silver-Holmes, Amy Smith, Lauren Smith, Molly Strano, Rachel Trenaman, Elyse Villani

 

In: Lauren Smith (Thunder). Out: TBC

 

Local players off contract: Maisy Gibson, Emma Manix-Geeves, Naomi Stalenberg, Julia Cavanough, Tabby Saville (local replacement player)

 

WBBL|09 overseas players: Shabnim Ismail (South Africa), Lizelle Lee (South Africa), Bryony Smith (England)

 

WBBL|10 Draft picks: 1, 9, 24, 25

The Hurricanes struggled for consistency in WBBL|09, getting off to a slow start with defeats in their first two games before stringing together three wins.

A poor five-game patch in the middle of their tournament, which included four losses and a no result, left their finals hopes hanging on by a thread with just three wins from their first 10 matches.

They made a late charge at the top four, winning their next three, but a loss in their final game to eventual champions Adelaide saw them finish in sixth.

The Hurricanes have made the finals just once in the last seven seasons, a record the club would be desperate to amend.

"Junior has been a transformative figure for our organisation since she made the move to Tasmania, she has a desire to continually improve and the ambition to keep taking our program to new heights," Cricket Tasmania high performance general manager Salliann Beams said.

"We have seen her bring her unique leadership style, and challenge how things are done, as we continue to search for ways to improve the Hurricanes franchise and bring success to Tasmania.

"On the field, to have someone with her skill and experience open the batting, have such a cool head under pressure, and lead our team, gives us every chance to have success in the coming two seasons with Elyse on our list."

The Hurricanes have now filled nine spots on their contract list for the upcoming season, including internationally capped allrounders Heather Graham and Nicola Carey, and new signing Lauren Smith.

The club emerged as a big winner from the WBBL|10 Draft lottery last month, securing the first pick which ensures they will get first dibs on the best overseas talent.

Hobart will also have picks No.9, 24 and 25 at the draft, which will be held in September with details to be confirmed shortly.