Father shares his pride after teenage superstar Lilli Hamilton makes her Queensland Fire debut

Fresh off a stellar performance for Queensland at the under-12 national championships, Lilli Hamilton asserted herself as one of the nation’s most exciting up and coming pace bowlers. Now at age 17, she has made her debut for the Queensland Fire as a spinner. Her father reveals what sparked the shock change and how she adapted.

Lilli Hamilton at her Queensland Fire cap presentation. Photo: Chris Hyde/Getty Images.

Young Darling Downs cricket prodigy Lilli Hamilton made the biggest step up of her career to date on Sunday when she was called up to debut for the Queensland Fire in the Women’s National Cricket League.

The spinner – who only turned 17 in November – made a statement on her debut with two wickets in two balls in just her second over as she ended with figures of 2-10.

There were few prouder figures watching on at Allan Border Field than her father Danny Hamilton, who has been there with her for every step of her journey.

“I was very proud, it’s fantastic, playing at that level, it’s another level up from what she’s been playing at here, we were fairly apprehensive and nervous but she did fairly well,” he said.

“That (Hamilton taking two wickets in consecutive balls) was exciting, we didn’t have that much expectation to her actually her even bowling but when she got the wickets that was fantastic.

“She got a catch as well which probably settled her nerves and when she came on to bowl she was probably less nervous.”

Incredibly, Hamilton’s path to becoming one of the nation’s most exciting spin bowlers of the next generation almost never happened if it wasn’t for a bold piece of advice from her father.

Lilli Hamilton of Queensland celebrates the wicket of Emma Mnix-Geeves during the WNCL match between Queensland and Tasmania at Allan Border Field. Photo: Chris Hyde/Getty Images.

“She made the Queensland under-12s school state team and they went to Adelaide for the national championships and she won Players’ Player there and got the most wickets for Queensland but she was a pace bowler then,” Danny said.

“When we came back home I kind of realised because she was only relatively small, she was never gonna be a really fast bowler because wasn’t gonna grow and get stronger in those years.

“So we changed to spin bowling and then we went to Wests in Brisbane and made our second grade debut and by the end of that season she made her first grade debut in January 2021 I think.

“Ever since she has been playing first grade and now she’s a spin bowler.”

After dominating as a pace bowler throughout most of her junior years, it would have been easy for Hamilton to take some time to adapt to changing to bowling spin.

However, as her dad recalls, she adapted immediately.

“Pretty much overnight,” Danny responded when asked how long it took Lilli to adjust.

“We used to go to the nets and when she got tired from pace bowling I’d just say ‘bowl some spin’.

“And when she bowled the spin, I went ‘Gee you’d make a really good spinner, you’ve got a really good action’, so she basically just did it straight away.

Beau Hamilton, Lilli Hamilton, Kaara Klepper and Danny Hamilton after Lilli Hamilton’s Queensland cap presentation. Photo: Chris Hyde/Getty Images.

With the Hamiltons based in Hampton in the Darling Downs, the family has had to travel upwards of 500km per week in recent years to help Lilli pursue her dream.

“We live at Hampton and Lilli goes to school in Toowoomba but she made her first grade debut about four years ago so we’ve been travelling down to Brisbane usually twice a week – once a week for training and once for games for about four years now,” Danny said.

“It is a fairly big commitment, a lot of kilometres, that’s how it goes you have to because that’s where the opportunities are.

“You make the commitment and you just live and die by that commitment.

“It’s very fulfilling because you can do all that travel and do all those games but if you don’t actually perform then you’re not going to keep progressing.

Lilli Hamilton of Queensland looks on during the WNCL match between Queensland and Tasmania at Allan Border Field, on January 12, 2025, in Brisbane, Australia. (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)

“She’s always kind of performed and when she goes to the next level, she performs there and then performs at the next level and performs at the next level.

“I am very proud and it makes it all worthwhile when you see her make a debut for the state women’s team.”

Danny said he knew his daughter was talented from a young age but also knew how difficult it would be for her to achieve her goals.

“She started playing at Highfields when she was about seven,” he said.

“She was co-ordinated and kind of got it, she got what it meant, what you had to do.

“Then when she was nine she made a Darling Downs under-12s school side that went to Mackay and then she went really well in that under-12s carnival in the state championships so I saw her potential then.”