A name that will soon become familiar to Tasmanian cricket fans is new signing Sara Kennedy.
The 17-year-old left-arm quick, who bowls with great pace, made her debut for Victoria last summer at Ninja Stadium against Tasmania in the WNCL.
Kennedy is excited by the prospect of playing for the Tasmanian Tigers, having signed for two seasons.
“I’m really looking forward to joining the Tigers family down south.
“I can’t wait to get around the group and begin to work towards improving as a bowler and a teammate in a super-experienced environment!” said Kennedy.
Bursting on the professional cricket scene during WBBL|09, Kennedy was 16 years old when she debuted for the Melbourne Renegades.
Hailing from Skipton in the south-west of Victoria, Kennedy has best figures of 2/20 from her 11 WBBL matches and has been a member of the Australian Women’s U19 squad since she was 15.
Selected as a reserve for the 2023 U19 World Cup, then selected again for the squad for the 2025 World Cup in Malaysia, where Cricket Tasmania Pathways Coach Natalie Schilov was one of the assistant coaches for the tournament.
Kennedy also won the Australian Cricket Society’s Young Player of the Year last season, joining an exclusive list of cricketers like Mel Jones, Tigers Captain Elyse Villani, and Meg Lanning to win this prestigious award.
With the ability to bowl fast, shape the ball, and still being early on in her development, Salliann Beams, High Performance General Manager, is excited by the prospect of Kennedy.
“We have kept a close eye on Sara over the last 12 months and are confident we have an environment where we can harness her talent and unique skillset to be an asset for Tasmanian cricket.
“She is someone who can bowl with real venom and offers a point of difference to our squad, bowling with her left arm.
“I know that Jude is excited to be working with Sara, and I believe she can have an immediate impact and can play at the highest level,” said Beams.
Kennedy joins Courtney Sippel as two major Tasmanian signings during the 2025-26 signing period, with several re-signings to be announced over the coming week.