Brisbane Heat teenager Lucy Hamilton breaks WBBL records in crucial win
Brisbane Heat teenager Lucy Hamilton has become the youngest player in WBBL history to take a five-wicket haul, skipping schoolies’ week to bowl her side to a crucial six-wicket win over the Melbourne Stars.
Hamilton claimed the equal-second best figures in the competition’s 10-year history on Sunday, with her 5-8 helping the Heat bowl the Stars out for 138.
Brisbane’s batters made light work of the chase, with Jemimah Rodrigues and Charlie Knott leading the way and the Heat reaching the target with 15 balls to spare.
Rodrigues hit 45 from 31, smashing two big sixes down the ground and five fours before being deceived by an Annabel Sutherland slower ball.
The Heat’s third straight win moved them back up into third on the ladder, while the Stars’ season is now almost over with one win from seven matches.
Hamilton was crucial, after the 18-year-old entered Sunday’s match without a wicket in her eight-game WBBL career.
Weeks after finishing her QCE exams in Bundaberg and with her friends partying on the Gold Coast, she had the biggest day of her career.
After Sutherland got out of the blocks fast with 21, the left-armer bowled both her and Yastika Bhatia in her first over.
She also had superstar Meg Lanning caught behind for 13 edging a wide half volley, before having danger woman Tess Flintoff caught driving on the up to mid-off.
The Bundaberg junior then trapped Deepti Sharma lbw, becoming the first Heat bowler in history to take a five-wicket haul in the WBBL.
Hamilton’s figures sit second only to Megan Schutt’s 6-19 in the competition’s history, and level with Amanda-Jade Wellington’s two returns of 5-8.
“All my mates are at schoolies at the moment, on the Goldy living it up,” said Hamilton, adding she couldn’t believe what had just happened.
“Going out there today I was just trying to back myself.
“Getting my first wicket and getting 5-fa, all the girls were getting around me. It was really exciting.
“I’ve had to be patient, played a few games, and it finally came and was really thrilling.”
Part of Australia’s under-19s side, Hamilton will finally move to Brisbane in the coming months after routinely making the five-hour commute down from Bundaberg.
“I was talking to my bowling coach the other day, and it’s now about working on standing the seam up and just backing myself to swing the ball back in,” Hamilton said.
“Progressive training will help that, but it’s having the confidence to be able to do that.”
Only late hitting from Kim Garth (31no from 20 balls) and Maisy Gibson (15 from 11) gave the Stars a faint hope, but the Heat still chased the target down with ease.
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