Star trio Jaron Morgan, Cooper Connolly and Teague Wyllie locked in for 2021 Southern Smash

Former Perth Scorchers player Jaron Morgan and two of the most promising junior cricketers in WA have been announced as high-profile signings in this year’s Southern Smash. The Southern Smash is regional WA’s premier Twenty20 tournament and will consist of six teams featuring a host of the State’s best metropolitan and regional players on December 28 and 29. Nominations for the third edition of Southern Smash closed on Sunday night, with 104 players nominating for the draft. Morgan and the two rising stars — Cooper Connolly and Teague Wyllie — have played second XI cricket this season for WA, with the latter two recently making their debuts. Home-grown talent and WA rookie Bryce Jackson has also nominated for the Southern Smash to be another marquee signing. Ryan Kinnear, who is part of the Smash organising committee, said it was exciting to have top quality marquee players nominated. “It’s great to have more than 100 nominations for our third edition of the Southern Smash,” he said. “To get some players of really high calibre is exciting. “If you look at Cooper, Teague and Bryce, they’re the future of WA cricket for the next 5-10 years so that’s really exciting. “Jaron is obviously a damaging batsmen and really good behind the stumps as well. “We have about 30-40 guys from last year coming back and then we just see more and more new names every year which is fantastic.” Morgan played one game for the Perth Scorchers in January last year and is currently the WA second XI wicketkeeper-batsman. The Joondalup Cricket Club captain and one of the stars of WA Premier Cricket, he was also named as the captain of Australia’s squad for the 2014 under-19 Cricket World Cup. Connolly is a WA contracted rookie and has played for Australia in the under-19s World Cup. Wyllie made a century on debut for the WA second XI and has scored plenty of runs in A-Grade in premier cricket. Jackson was rookie contracted by the WACA earlier this year. Among the 104 nominated are 14 marquee players, 25 from the Albany and Districts Cricket Association and seven from Great Southern Cricket Association players. Dan Rees will take charge of reigning premiers Inswing Ignition while Coen Marwick (Camtrans Bulldogs), Nathan Crudeli (Retravision Warriors) and Nathan Dovey (Elders Avengers) have been re-appointed as captains again. Josh Dallimore will captain Albany Finance Fury after moving to Albany. The draft will be held at Inswing Sports Bar next Monday night, starting at 7pm.