Teen Kate Peterson re-signs for Sydney Thunder ahead of WBBL06

“I loved my first season with Thunder and I’m really excited for the next two seasons ahead,” Peterson said in a statement. “Playing with the likes of Rene Farrell and obviously with Rachael Haynes as captain, I just feel like I learnt so much and really developed as a player. It’d be a dream come true to break into the team and get a chance to debut this season.”

Peterson, a swing bowler, made her way to the Thunder side with strong performances in New South Wales (NSW) Premier Cricket. She took 13 wickets at an average of 13.4 during the U-18 National Championships in the 2019-20 season. “The support we get in regional areas of NSW is so important to the Thunder Nation. It’s great that we can connect with these communities virtually and hopefully inspire more girls and boys to play cricket this summer,” she added.

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Thunder head coach Trevor Griffin hailed Peterson as an exciting prospect and said she will be one of the key members of the side in the future. “Kate’s desire and commitment to improve really stood out and I know she’s worked incredibly hard on her game over the winter. For somebody so young, she can execute a yorker well and she’s a real competitor in the field. She’s a really exciting prospect for the future,” he said.

“We’ve got a few changes in personnel this year and that’s going to give a number of players a chance to stake their claim and I have no doubt that Kate will be pushing to make her debut for Thunder.”

Thunder has earlier re-signed South Africa pace bowler Shabnim Ismail and managed to procure a two-year deal with ace allrounder Sammy-Jo Johnson. They have also signed teenager Anika Learoyd in a two-year deal and also off-spinner Lauren Smith made a move to Thunder from Sydney Sixers.

The squad so far: Rachael Haynes (C), Sam Bates, Hannah Darlington, Saskia Horley, Shabnim Ismail, Sammy-Jo Johnson, Anika Learoyd, Phoebe Litchfield, Kate Peterson, Lauren Smith, Rachel Trenaman and Tahlia Wilson.