Fire Aiming High For 2025-26

The Fire, runners-up in the Women’s National Cricket League after finishing on top of the ladder last season, have welcomed Western Suburbs duo Ruby Strange and Lilli Hamilton onto their contracted player list.

Fairholme College Year 12 student Lilli Hamilton will be Queensland’s first Fire rookie player under revised squad contracting guidelines.

The 17-year-old right-arm off-spinner made her WNCL debut for Queensland last summer, after also tasting the action in the inaugural T20 Spring Challenge under the Brisbane Heat banner.

Hamilton, who started playing cricket at the age of 7 in Toowoomba, was named in the Team of the Championship at the National Under-19 titles last summer, taking 14 wickets for Queensland.

Strange, 22, played six games in the T20 Spring Challenge, including a best bowling effort of 4-35, as the Heat finished as runners-up to Hobart in a last-ball thriller in the Final.

She was signed as an injury replacement for the WBBL Brisbane Heat but a subsequent stress fracture in her leg forced her out of the WBBL.

The Boyne Island-Tannum Sands product 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 is a right-handed bat and right-arm medium fast bowler who has captained Queensland at youth level.

Strange was a member of the Queensland Country Brolgas team that won the Toyota Australian Country title in 2023-24 where she was chosen in the honorary Australian team.

Fire coach Mark Sorell welcomed the newcomers to the list for the first time.

“Having Ruby and Lilli come into the Fire squad is a resounding tick for player development across the State and highlights the opportunities for the growing number of girls playing the game,’’ he said.

“Ruby progressively built a strong case to be considered at a higher level through her Premier cricket and Country cricket results, and we were delighted with her performance during the Spring Challenge.

“Lilli has made rapid strides, and her efforts for Wests and Queensland have been highly encouraging.”

“We’re really pleased with the squad, there is outstanding experience and leadership from our senior players and nationally contracted players, coupled with some of Australia’s most promising young talent.”

“Even though we missed out trophies in recent seasons, our focus on learning and improving our game, individually and collectively, hasn’t altered,” Sorell said.

There were two omissions from last season’s squad with Courtney Sippel switching to Tasmania and Valley’s Kira Holmes recovering from a knee reconstruction.
 
“Kira comes off our list as she continues her recovery from an ACL injury. We’ll support her across our programs as she works to return to full fitness in the future,” Sorell said. 

The Fire squad includes Australian contracted players Grace Harris and Georgia Voll, as well as Australia ‘A’ captain Charli Knott, World Cup winner Jess Jonassen, Australian Under-19 captain Lucy Hamilton and fellow national youth rep Lilly Bassingthwaighte and Australia ‘A” players Sianna Ginger, Nicola Hancock and Grace Parsons.

Experienced English international Lauren Winfield-Hill will also return for a third season with the Fire.

2025-26 QUEENSLAND FIRE SQUAD

Cricket Australia Contracted (2)
Grace Harris (Wests)
Georgia Voll (Sandgate-Redcliffe)

Queensland Contracted (15)
Lilly Bassingthwaighte (Wests)
Bonnie Berry (Sunshine Coast)
Lucinda Bourke (Valley)
Sianna Ginger (Valley)
Lilli Hamilton (Wests) ROOKIE (NEW)
Lucy Hamilton (Sunshine Coast)
Nicola Hancock (University of Qld)
Laura Harris (University of Qld)
Jess Jonassen (Valley)
Charli Knott (University of Qld)
Grace Parsons (Wests)
Georgia Redmayne (Wests)
Ruby Strange (Wests) (NEW)
Lauren Winfield-Hill (UK)
Mikayla Wrigley (Sunshine Coast)

IN
Lilli Hamilton (Wests) ROOKIE
Ruby Strange (Wests)

OUT
Kira Holmes
Courtney Sippel (Tas)