The 17-year-old pace bowler played her first senior men's game for the club - in division two - aged just 12 before making her first division one appearance a couple of seasons later at 15.

At the same time the Port Campbell native was rising through the Victorian representative cricket ranks and in February she added to her remarkable resume, making her Women's National Cricket League debut for Victoria just weeks after impressing for Australia in the Women's Under 19 Twenty20 World Cup in South Africa.

Illingworth, 17, looked at home on debut, snaring match-best figures of 4-41 against WA before following it up with selection in the Victorians' final two games of the season.

The speedster was dubbed 'The Port Campbell Express' by commentators and has been clocked bowling more than 120 kilometres per hour.

Illingworth's rapid rise came as no surprise to Rebels division one coach Simon Harkness, who was impressed by the youngster early on.

"She's just got a bit of pace. That's just rare," he told The Standard.

"She's got a pretty unique bowling action and when it came together - and it looks like it's coming together a lot more frequently - it is pretty special and hard to find."

Harkness said the teenage sensation slotted in seamlessly at the club among the men.

"(I'm) not saying she didn't stand out but it was more she just fit in ability-wise which was the outstanding part," he said.

"Take gender out of it, she's fantastic."

The Rebels mentor said Illingworth's character separated her from others, aside from her natural bowling skills.

"She's got a great attitude and she wants to learn," he said.

" And that's actually her secret weapon really.

"She's a really good learner and she just soaks up as much information as she can.

"I think it will propel her into the next phase of what will be a career."

Illingworth, who just started year 12 at Warrnambool's Emmanuel College, hasn't forgotten her roots despite her success.

She is appreciative of the role her school and the Rebels played in her development and gave special mention to some of her junior coaches.

"Simon Harkness and Stephen Field (Cricket Victoria) are probably two coaches that stand out and Duncan Harrison (Cricket Victoria) as well, who kept pushing me over the last few years to get to the level I'm at," she told The Standard.

"Credit goes to them and the whole of the Heytesbury Rebels who pretty much started my cricket career."

As for her Victorian women's debut, the teenager said it was a "surreal experience" and something not on her radar until recently.

"It was something that I'd always wanted to do and to tick off the bucket list, so to get the cap at the end of the season was just a real nice feeling," she said.

Illingworth said she was nervous ahead of her first spell at the national level but fortunately didn't have to wait too long before taking her first WNCL wicket - WA batter Mathilda Carmichael for 35, caught off a mistimed pull shot in her first over.

Among the crowd that day was Illingworth's dad Simon who has been with her every step of the journey.

"Dad came and watched Tayla (Vlaeminck) present me with my cap," she said.

"He was over the moon, he was stoked.

"He's driven so many kilometres, at least over 50,000 over the last few years. So it was really good for him to be there and I guess the hard work that he's put in has also paid off."

It was Illingworth's performances in South Africa for the Australian under 19 side which thrust her into Victorian calculations.

The opening bowler played in all six of her side's world cup matches, as the Aussies fell heart-breakingly short against England in the semi-final.

Her best performance came in the super six stage when she was awarded player-of-the-match honours in a win over India after claiming figures of 2-12 which included the prized scalp of Indian captain Shafali Verma for just eight runs.

Illingworth believed she would benefit from the experiences both on and off the field and said bowling to high-quality batters prepared her for the WNCL.

"Being away from home was really hard and I think the group of girls that we had, it made it so much easier than what it could have been," she said.

"A month's a long time so even though there was so much cricket played I think the experiences off the field were probably the best and the most memorable.

"Still there were plenty of experiences to learn from on the field as well. In the semi-final it was probably the hardest game we played all tournament so I think taking learnings from that was definitely a key.

"Even though the format was different, playing against (India's) Shafali Verma and Richa Gosh who are the world's best batters is something I'd always wanted to do and I think having experience from bowling to them and then bringing that into the Australian tournament definitely helped."

While the women's domestic cricket season may be over for another year in Australia, Illingworth's attention now turns to winning a Victorian Premier Cricket premiership.

Her Essendon Maribyrnong Park side will contest the first grade grand final on March 5, against either Carlton or Melbourne.

After that the rising fast bowler is hoping she can snag Victorian and WBBL contracts in the off-season while juggling her year 12 VCE commitments.

She had her first SAC on Wednesday, on just her fourth day back at school, and is happy with how she is managing her competing priorities.

A career in cricket is Illingworth's goal but at this stage she is still keeping her options open.

"I'm completing my VCE so hopefully something comes of that too, if cricket doesn't end up working out," she said.

The Women's Premier League (WPL) in India is also a potential pathway for Illingworth.

The first WPL player auction was held last week, with star Australian all-rounder Ash Gardner being purchased by the Gujarat Giants for the joint-highest price of $558,000 for the inaugural season.

Mortlake export Georgia Wareham was also snapped up by the Giants for $131,000.

Illingworth said the competition's establishment was good progress for women's sport and she would love to be a part of it in the future.

"Bringing cricket to that level in the women's arena where it can be classified as a full-time sport, I think it's such a good step in the right direction for all girls, up-and-comers and anyone really," she said.

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