Thunder recruit Kate Peterson goes from selfies with cricket greats to playing alongside them

Last season this Sydney schoolgirl was getting autographs and selfies from her favourite WBBL players. Now she is one of them.

Kate Peterson in a selfie with Meg Lanning at a game in Sydney.

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Last summers cricket fanatic Kate Peterson was taking selfies with the superstars of world cricket.

This season they will be her teammates and rivals.

The Sydney schoolgirl will swap an old Sydney Thunder supporters shirt that no longer fits for a full kit of playing gear as the newest member of the WBBL team.

Peterson, who attends Williams Clarke college and lives at North Rocks, recently joined the Penrith club with Thunder teammates Naomi Stalenberg and Lisa Griffith.

Now the 16-year-old is the second graduate of the Thunder WBBL Academy to crack the Big Bash with the club.

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“Mum got the phone call and told me when I got home from school and I started to run round the house screaming,’’ Peterson said.

“I’ve managed to calm down a bit since.

“I wasn’t expecting it. I knew it was close but didn’t expect anything so soon so I’m excited and shocked.’’

Peterson said she has selfie shots of herself at games with the likes of Rachael Haynes, Alyssa Healy, Ellyse Perry, Meg Lanning and Ash Gardner and finds it hard to believe she will be facing off against them or beside them as teammates this summer.

Kate Petersen in action.

Kate Peterson is still at school.

Kate Peterson took this selfie with Meg Lanning at a game in Sydney juts two years ago.

“I definitely want to have a career in cricket,’’ she said.

“The WBBL is just so exciting. The number of crowds they are getting is just amazing,’’ said Peterson, who has made an under 18 cricket Australian X1 already.

“I watched it last season and went to the home games. I got selfies and autographs with the players as well.

“It was just a fantastic atmosphere.’’

For the first time WBBL|05 will be played as a stand-alone tournament, with a dedicated window starting in mid-October.

To kick off their season, Sydney Thunder will take on cross-town rivals, the Sydney Sixers, in the first match of a the Sydney Smash blockbuster fixture at North Sydney Oval under lights on October 18.

Thunder recently re-signed star batters Alex Blackwell and Rachael Haynes with the later to take over the captaincy.

Originally published as Thunder recruit Kate Peterson goes from selfies with cricket greats to playing alongside them