Gerald Hill (15 April 1913 – 31 January 2006) was an English first-class cricketer who played for Hampshire from 1932 to 1954. A right-handed batsman and right-arm off break bowler, Hill played 371 first-class games for Hampshire. Hill was spotted by the cricketer and writer Sir

Arthur Conan Doyle Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle (22 May 1859 – 7 July 1930) was a British writer and physician. He created the character Sherlock Holmes in 1887 for ''A Study in Scarlet'', the first of four novels and fifty-six short stories about Ho ...

. Doyle was playing golf with Hill's father when he spotted the young Hill playing on an adjoining pitch. Doyle then wrote to Colonel

J. G. Greig Canon (Colonel) John Glennie Greig (24 October 1871 – 24 May 1958) was an English soldier, cricketer and Roman Catholic priest who played most of his cricket in India. Life and career Born in Mhow near Indore in 1871, Greig lived in India un ...

, Hampshire's secretary, to arrange a trial. In 1935, Hill was hit for 32 in an over by Glamorgan's

Cyril Smart Cyril Cecil Smart (23 July 1898 – 21 May 1975) was an English cricketer who played for Glamorgan and Warwickshire County Cricket Clubs between 1920 and 1946, featuring in 236 first-class cricket matches as a right-handed batsman and occasiona ...

(6, 6, 4, 6, 6, 4), then the most expensive six-ball over in first-class history. In 1937, during a County Championship match played against

Sussex Sussex (), from the Old English (), is a historic county in South East England that was formerly an independent medieval Anglo-Saxon kingdom. It is bounded to the west by Hampshire, north by Surrey, northeast by Kent, south by the English ...

at the United Services Recreation Ground, Hill and Donald Walker put on 235 for the 5th wicket, which remains to this day a Hampshire record. Kent captain

Percy Chapman Arthur Percy Frank Chapman (3 September 1900 – 16 September 1961) was an English cricketer who captained the England cricket team between 1926 and 1931. A left-handed batsman, he played 26 Test matches for England, captaining the side in 17 o ...

, a family friend of Hill's, presented him with his County Cap in 1935. Hill was accidentally shot in the leg by teammate

Len Creese William Charles Leonard Creese (27 December 1907 – 9 March 1974) was a South African born English first-class cricketer. Creese was a left-handed batsman who bowled left-arm medium pace. Career for Hampshire Len Creese left South Africa as ...

, while bowling in the nets. The bullet stayed in Hill's leg for the remainder of his life. Hill fought in the Second World War in Italy and resumed his first-class career with Hampshire after the resumption of the County Championship in 1946. Hill retired from first-class cricket in 1954. Hill batted in all 11 positions for Hampshire scoring four centuries, including a highest score of 161 against Sussex at Portsmouth. Hill died in his sleep at his home at Lyndhurst in the New Forest on 31 January 2006.

References

External links

Gerry Hill
on

Cricinfo ESPN cricinfo (formerly known as Cricinfo or CricInfo) is a sports news website exclusively for the game of cricket. The site features news, articles, live coverage of cricket matches (including liveblogs and scorecards), and ''StatsGuru'', a d ...

Gerry Hill
on CricketArchive {{DEFAULTSORT:Hill, Gerry 1913 births 2006 deaths People from Totton and Eling English cricketers Hampshire cricketers British Army personnel of World War II British Army soldiers