Young gun commits to the Thunder Nation until at least the end of WBBL|11

Sydney Thunder have received a boost in their quest for more WBBL titles with news that superstar Hannah Darlington has inked a three-year extension that will see the talented bowler at the club until at least the end of WBBL|11.

The deal continues the Thunder’s commitment to young home-grown talent, with the 20-year-old from Western Sydney having been a fan in the crowd at the team’s first ever WBBL match before signing a rookie contract as a 15-year-old. 

The announcement comes as the Weber WBBL marks 100 Days to Go until the eighth edition of the world’s premier cricket league for women kicks off on October 13.

Despite her tender years, Darlington has already captained the Thunder and NSW, won a WBBL title, been named the WBBL|05 Young Gun and in the Team of the Tournament for WBBL|06 and 07.

The proud Kamilaroi woman has also played for Australia in T20 and ODI formats and said she was over the moon to secure her future.

“I was really excited to get offered a long term deal,” Darlington said.

“I think after spending five years at the club now since I was 15, it’s been a while but it’s a real honour to have that hard work pay off and allow me to stay with the club.”

Few players are more passionate about their team and their community as Darlington and she was quick to recognise the many factors that made staying in Lime Green well into the future a no brainer.

“We always speak about the Thunder Nation, our fans, our environment and I guess our home ground out at Blacktown is ten minutes down the road from where I grew up,” she said.

“It’s the team I supported, I was at the first ever game at Howell Oval and these are all the small things that make up the reasons why I love playing for this club.

“The support they’ve given me and everything we’ve been through, whether it was a title win, hubs, travelling – these things kind of stand out but it’s more the off field stuff and the community aspect that we have to our club.”

The WBBL fixture is set to be announced in the coming days, with tickets for this summer’s Thunder WBBL and BBL matches on-sale to the public at 2pm, August 18 (AEST).

Thunder WBBL Memberships available soon. Be the first in line by registering your interest here.

Sydney Thunder WBBL Squad

Head Coach: Trevor Griffin

Contracted for WBBL|08: Samantha Bates, Hannah Darlington, Phoebe Litchfield, Olivia Porter, Tahlia Wilson

https://www.sydneythunder.com.au/news/thunder-mark-100-with-darlington-extension/2022-07-05