"The first of many".
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Phoebe Litchfield's young Sydney Thunder line-up has stunned red-hot title favorites the Melbourne Stars to be crowned WBBL06 champions on Saturday night, and the Kinross Wolaroi student is confident it's just the beginning for the girls in lime green.
Litchfield is just 17 but finished the tournament with an average of 28.83 - the highest of any teenager in the competition - and took a ripping catch in the outfield to dismiss Alana King, taking her tally for the year to 13, the most of any player in the WBBL this year.
Litchfield is one of four players in the Thunder squad aged 21 or younger.
Rachel Trenaman and Tahlia Wilson are in their first full seasons as youngsters, while Hannah Darlington was the club's player of the year last summer and backed that up with 18 scalps this season, and her performance in the semi-final helped lift the Thunder into the decider.
In her post-game interview following the Thunder's seven-wicket victory chasing the Stars' 9-86 from 20 overs, Litchfield said the young group was couldn't believe what was happening.
"I said to Darlo this is 'one of many'," Litchfield said.
"Hopefully this is the first of many of these. I can't believe it's happened."
A brilliant performance by the Thunder bowling unit has set up the win at a sold-out North Sydney Oval.
The table-topping Stars were restricted to 9-86 after seam bowlers Shabnim Ismail (2-12) and Sammy-Jo Johnson (2-11) set the tone, beating the bat several times with pace and swing.
Player of the Final Ismail picked up the vital wicket of Australian and Stars captain Meg Lanning (13), caught behind at the start of the seventh over, with the Stars 3-20, and the minor premiers never really recovered.
The Thunder chased down the sub-par total in 13.4 overs finishing 3-87, captain Rachael Haynes (21 not out from 17) and England skipper Heather Knight (26 not out from 19) guiding Thunder home.
Haynes was outstanding in the field taking four catches which equalled the record for the most by one player in a WBBL match.
It is the Thunder's first WBBL title since the inaugural season of the Women's Big Bash. Knight sealing the win with a six.
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