One of Victoria's most exciting pace bowling prospects has joined the Melbourne Renegades ahead of WBBL 10 which kicks off in late October.
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South-west cricket export Milly Illingworth has signed with the Twenty20 franchise on a two-year deal after spending last season with the Melbourne Stars.
The 19-year-old from Port Campbell, who graduated from Emmanuel College in 2023 and is contracted to the Victorian cricket team next season, made her WBBL debut for the Stars last year, taking 1-18.
Illingworth, renowned for being one of the quickest fast bowlers in women's cricket in the country already and prides herself on having a strong bouncer, said she was thrilled to join the franchise.
"I'm really excited for the change and to get started," she told the Melbourne Renegades website.
"I was so fortunate to debut for the Stars last season and have learned a lot from bowling with Kim (Garth) and Annabel (Sutherland) but when the opportunity came up at the Renegades I grabbed it with both arms.
"There's so much talent and depth in this squad, I'm confident we can really do some damage in WBBL 10."
The ex-Heytesbury Princetown Storm junior joins star Victorian player Nicole Faltum in switching from the Stars.
"Having Nicole and Milly join us is a significant boost for our squad," Renegades general manager James Rosengarten said.
"Nicole brings invaluable experience and leadership, while Milly's raw talent and pace will be exciting to watch.
"Our goal is to identify and bring into our squad as much talent as possible, and the addition of Nicole and Milly is a big step in that direction."
Illingworth - who represented Australia at the Under-19 World Cup in early 2023 - is not the only south-west export signed by the Renegades this season.
Mortlake export and Australian star Georgia Wareham is already locked in to play WBBL for the Renegades again.
The 25-year-old is coming off a stellar WBBL campaign last season where she was named the Renegades' player of the season.
The Renegades will kick off their WBBL season at the Adelaide Oval against the Sydney Sixers on October 27, 2024.
Nick Creely
Sports reporter with The Standard
Sports reporter with The Standard
