Southern Smash 2024: Clint Hinchliffe selected with No.1 pick as 32 players land at four teams on draft night

Former Melbourne Stars wrist spinner Clint Hinchliffe has been snapped up with the cherished first pick of the 2024 Southern Smash draft, with the red-hot favourite for the No.1 pick landing at Arc Infrastructure Aces. This year will be the sixth edition of Albany’s marquee T20 competition, the biggest of its kind in regional WA. Now captaining Mt Lawley in the WA Premier Cricket competition, the star all-rounder was one of 32 big-name players across WA who were selected on Monday night. The 28-year-old brings a wealth of T20 experience, having played 28 Big Bash League matches and taken 19 wickets at an average of 25.42 for both the Perth Scorchers and the Stars between 2019 and 2023. He is also the third-highest run-scorer in the WA Premier Cricket first-grade competition this season, scoring 275 runs at an average of 132, trailing former Smash No.1 pick Will Bosisto — who has returned to the Fury — and WA batter Joel Curtis in the run tally. The Aces had the first pick after finishing last in the 2023 tournament, and were able to retain swashbuckling Willetton opener Brock Larance, who last played for the side in 2022. Hinchliffe beat University star all-rounder and former Albany resident Viv Paver, his big-hitting teammate Jack Webster, and talented Australian under-19 wicketkeeper-bat Simon Budge from Melville to be taken as the No.1 selection. Paver, who is classified as a Great Southern player, was snared with the second pick by Retravision Warriors after a blistering start to the Premier T20 competition, where he has scored 244 runs at an average of 81.33, including a century and two half-centuries to go with six wickets at 13.17. Camtrans Bulldogs, under new captain Joe Stanley, picked up Webster with their first selection (No.3), and Budge landed at Albany Finance Fury to finish off the first round. Mt Barker all-rounder Jack Pope was the first Albany and Districts player selected in the draft, going at pick No.12, and was one of six local players taken. The Great Southern Cricket Association was heavily represented, with Jack Batchelor (Broomehill) and Liam Want (Kojonup), English imports Joe Raynor (Katanning Wanderers), Max Jordison (Broomehill) and Archie Atwell (Australs North) all being snaffled up. Along with Larance, Aces skipper Tim Hutchison retained 2022 player of the tournament Jaron Morgan and Mt Barker’s Nathan Crosby. New Warriors captain Jeremy Wood retained former Albany and Districts player of the year and WA Country XI All-Australian Nathan Crudeli, Tim Hale and Oliver Davidson. Stanley retained Bunbury and Districts gun batter Cooper Clarke-Dehring, Jye Donald, and Belgian international Burhan Niaz. Alex Fergie will take the reins as captain of the Fury again, and has recalled the services of Bosisto, Australian under-19 leg spinner Luke Holt, and Garrick Morgan. Each side must have at least four players who are originally from the Great Southern, and a maximum of five metro-based players. The under-21 tournament, which is only available to regional-based players, will again launch the Smash with a curtainraiser on Saturday, December 28. This year’s Smash will run from December 28-30 with the tournament proper held over the final two days, along with newly introduced women’s matches. Southern Smash draft selections #1 Clint Hinchliffe (Mt Lawley) — Arc Infrastructure Aces #2 Viv Paver (University) — Retravision Warriors #3 Jack Webster (University) — Camtrans Bulldogs #4 Simon Budge (Melville) — Albany Finance Fury #5 Michael Dawson (Fremantle) — Arc Infrastructure Aces #6 Blair Walsh (Willetton) — Retravision Warriors #7 Declan Power (Melville) — Camtrans Bulldogs #8 Liam Renton (Dalyellup) — Albany Finance Fury #9 Lucas Martin (Rockingham-Mandurah) — Arc Infrastructure Aces #10 Riley Mattingley (Scarborough) — Retravision Warriors #11 Connor Smith (Mandurah) — Camtrans Bulldogs #12 Jack Pope (Mt Barker) — Albany Finance Fury #13 Cameron Tredgett (High Wycombe) — Arc Infrastructure Aces #14 Lewis Martin (Melville) — Retravision Warriors #15 George Addy (Wanneroo) — Camtrans Bulldogs #16 Jack Batchelor (Broomehill) — Albany Finance Fury #17 Campbell Robertson (Denmark) — Arc Infrastructure Aces #18 Jack Camarda (Fremantle) — Retravision Warriors #19 Max Jordison (Broomehill) — Camtrans Bulldogs #20 Adam Prowse (Towns) — Albany Finance Fury #21 Oliver Herrington (Waroona) — Arc Infrastructure Aces #22 Hayden Davies (Royals) — Retravision Warriors #23 Daniel Baker (Waroona) — Camtrans Bulldogs #24 Joe Raynor (Katanning Wanderers) — Albany Finance Fury #25 O’Shea Durack (Collingwood Park) — Arc Infrastructure Aces #26 Harry Broomehall (Kwinana) — Retravision Warriors #27 Archie Atwell (Australs North) — Camtrans Bulldogs #28 Liam Want (Kojonup) — Albany Finance Fury #29 Bryn Bursill (Claremont-Nedlands) — Arc Infrastructure Aces #30 Jed Schwarzbach (Collingwood Park) — Retravision Warriors #31 Freddy Sharp (Collingwood Park) — Camtrans Bulldogs #32 Arnav Pimple (University) — Albany Finance Fury Retained Players Arc Infrastructure Aces Tim Hutchison (C) Jaron Morgan Brock Larance Nathan Crosby Retravision Warriors Jeremy Wood (C) Tim Hale Oliver Davidson Nathan Crudeli Camtrans Bulldogs Joe Stanley (C) Jye Donald Cooper Clarke-Dehring Burhan Niaz Albany Finance Fury Alex Fergie (C) Will Bosisto Garrick Morgan Luke Holt