A Decade On Lauren Back For Heat

The WBBL Brisbane Heat have finalised their contracted player list for the opening rounds of the Weber Women’s Big Bash League that starts this weekend.

Experienced English international Lauren Winfield-Hill will come full circle, with the foundation Heat player approved as an International Replacement Player for the opening two matches.

Winfield-Hill played for the Heat in their inaugural year and 10 seasons on, she will link with the club once more to cover for Indian World Cup player Jemimah Rodrigues who will join Brisbane in early November.

A top order batter, she is playing the summer in Australia as a contracted member of the Queensland Fire squad, turning out in four WNCL matches so far.

Winfield-Hill, whose wife Courtney will enter her second season as assistant coach for the WBBL Heat, has played 225 career T20 matches including stints in the WBBL with the Heat, Adelaide Strikers, Hobart Hurricanes, Melbourne Stars and Perth Scorchers.

She has scored 3944 career T20 runs, including 600 T20 International runs for England.

Heat coach Mark Sorell said he was excited to add Winfield-Hill to the group for the start of the tournament.

“She’s a great addition to any team with her skills, leadership and experience,’’ he said.

“We have been delighted with her contributions on and off the field with our playing group with the Fire so far this season and last week with a young squad at the T20 Spring Challenge,’’ he said.

“Bringing Lauren in alongside our internationals Nadine de Klerk and Shikha Pandey provides extra stability to the line-up for these early games.

“She has been in good touch with the bat so far for the Fire which is very encouraging ahead of the opening games,’’ Sorell said.

The WBBL Technical Committee has also approved the inclusion of Western Suburbs allrounder Ruby Strange, who will replace fellow CQ product Bonnie Berry for the entire competition after the teenage pace bowler was ruled out with a back stress fracture.

Strange, 21, enjoyed a strong T20 Spring Challenge pre-season campaign, playing six matches with a best bowling effort of 4-35, as the Heat finished as runners-up to Hobart in a last-ball thriller in the Final on Sunday.

Originally from Tannum Sands near Gladstone, she has represented Queensland at youth level and is a two-time winner of the Kath Smith Medal as the best player in the Katherine Raymont Shield in the KFC Queensland Premier Cricket competition.

She captains Western Suburbs in the Katherine Raymont Shield and was also chosen in the Australian Country squad earlier this year following Queensland's win in the Toyota Australian Country Championships.

The Heat also completed its playing list with Valley allrounder Lucy Bourke signed for the 15th contracted spot.

The 19-year-old fills the vacancy created by the Heat’s release of Ellie Johston to the Adelaide Strikers last month.

Bourke, a Warwick product, is in her first season as a contracted player with the Queensland Fire and played six matches for Brisbane in the T20 Spring Challenge where she had a top score of 22.

Sorell welcomed the latest home-grown signings to the group.

“Whilst unfortunate for Bonnie that she has been ruled out of this year’s WBBL, we are pleased to bring Ruby into the squad as her replacement. She works hard, is a good leader, and brings some nice skills with the ball and handy lower order runs to the table.”

“Lucy Bourke is an exciting young player who is very skilful with the bat and ball. We’re looking forward to her enjoying the experience and continuing her development.”

The Heat will announce their squad tomorrow for Sunday’s opening game against the Adelaide Strikers at the Adelaide Oval from 12.40pm Qld time.

It is the first game of a triple-header, with all the action covered live through Channel 7, 7Plus, Foxtel and Kayo.

Tickets are on sale now for all the WBBL Heat home games, including the WBBL Gabba Smash, presented by Ward, on Saturday 9 November.

That will feature the Heat taking on the Strikers at the Gabba in a night fixture, the first time they will have played in prime time under lights at the venue.

As well as the WBBL Gabba Smash presented by Ward, the Heat will also play three WBBL home games at Allan Border Field, taking on the Renegades next Wednesday (30 October), Stars (Nov 22) and Sixers (Nov 24).

WBBL and BBL tickets for the Heat are on sale now through Ticketek and at https://www.brisbaneheat.com.au/tickets

2024-25 WBBL Brisbane Heat
WBBL|10 Player List

21. Jess Jonassen (c)
7. Lucy Bourke
11. Sianna Ginger
5. Lucy Hamilton
44. Nicola Hancock
17. Grace Harris
4.  Laura Harris
32. Nadine de Klerk (SA)
88. Charli Knott
12. Shikha Pandey (India)
34. Grace Parsons
8. Georgia Redmayne
50. Jemimah Rodrigues (India)
25. Ruby Strange (replaces Bonnie Berry)
58. Lauren Winfield-Hill (Eng) (replaces Jemimah Rodrigues for two matches)
43. Mikayla Wrigley