James Coles: A historic day at Hundred auction but barely any women were there to see it
The auction floor in Piccadilly Circus was candy pink and day‑glo green — Sophie Devine and Beth Mooney going for £210, 000, Davina Perrin for £50, 000 — an image that even a neutral observer such as james coles could not easily forget. The headline figures announced a new era for female players; the composition of the room told a different story.
Why did the Hundred auction feel historic?
The event was English cricket’s first player auction for the competition and produced headline bids that underlined a shift in market value for women players. Sophie Devine and Beth Mooney each attracted £210, 000 bids, a sum the coverage noted was more than the entire women’s squad had earned when the Hundred launched in 2021. Dani Gibson was bought for £190, 000, and Birmingham Phoenix committed £50, 000 for Davina Perrin as the first player to be bought in the process.
Beyond the numbers were the trappings of modern sport: Hero Players, Vitality Wild Cards, content creators filming TikTok interviews, an interactive screen and a live stream watched by 2, 667 people. The spectacle pointed to a brighter commercial future for the women’s game while also exposing a gap between symbolic progress and the people making the decisions on the ground.
What did James Coles see in the room?
The room itself contained about 60 people, of whom roughly a dozen were women; two team tables were entirely male. Present were familiar figures from the cricket and entertainment world: a former fast bowler in skinny jeans with an iPad, a gavel carried by an auctioneer, and teams’ in‑house content creators in a branded performance space. That mix—flashy production and a largely male decision‑making cohort—was the image many took away.
Voices from within the tournament expressed disappointment at that imbalance. Lisa Keightley, a senior coach with MI London, said, “It is really disappointing seeing one female senior coach in this competition. I hope that changes over time. There’s some really good female coaches that will be disappointed not to be involved. But I will keep flying the flag. ” Anya Shrubsole, working with Southern Brave, called the situation “a chicken‑and‑egg situation, ” expressing hope that opportunities will follow players through to coaching and other roles. Sarah Taylor, working with Manchester Super Giants, said, “We have another female coach coming in as assistant. I would hope that once we get to the competition to see more females involved in those sorts of roles. ”
How are teams framing their building blocks?
On the squad side, teams were explicit about plans. Trent Rockets’ head coach Chris Read said the club felt “in a really good place” after securing Beth Mooney and balancing experience with youth. Mick Newell, Trent Rockets’ Director of Cricket, described a desire for high‑scoring games but also stressed the need for wicket‑taking bowlers, speaking to the squad mix of international stars and domestic talent. The Rockets added wicketkeeper‑batters Ailsa Lister and Bess Heath plus a group of batters, all‑rounders and bowlers, with remaining slots to be filled by Vitality Wildcard picks after the conclusion of the Vitality Blast.
What emerges from these remarks is an organizational focus on building teams that will deliver entertainment value—runs, boundaries and big hits—while also needing to strengthen pathways to non‑playing roles. That tension is at the heart of why the auction felt both progressive and incomplete.
Back on the Piccadilly floor, amid the bright production and the tallying of six‑figure bids, the human picture stayed small. The crowd, the cameras and the contracts proclaimed a new market for women players; the room’s makeup suggested the structures behind those contracts have more work to do.
For readers such as james coles, the scene lingers: a landmark moment for playing careers, and a reminder that transforming who sits at the decision‑making table remains unfinished business.
