This week, Simon Hill will play his 300th Victorian Premier First Grade match. In the days leading up to his phenomenal milestone, we'll be counting down the best innings of Hilly's magnificent career, which has included 16 centuries in the top grade. Sit back and enjoy as CMCC scribe Josh Nevett sits down with Simon to look back at his best five innings:
One would assume that singling out a standout, all conquering ton from Hilly’s grand total of 16 Magpies centuries would be a difficult task, however this could not be further from the truth.
One would assume that singling out a standout, all conquering ton from Hilly’s grand total of 15 Magpies centuries would be a difficult task, however this could not be further from the truth.
The 137* he scored against Footscray on the 11th of February 2017 was an innings to command both the attention of statisticians and the awe of those who witnessed it alike. On a day where the conditions were far from ideal for batting, Simon made 42% of the runs scored in the entire match.
His unbeaten knock was the lone hand (80% of runs scored) in Camberwell’s first innings of 172, a three-and-a-half-hour effort that proved to be match-winning as Footscray fell 20 runs short in the run chase.
The significance of this particular innings is clear in the pride with which Hilly describes it:
“It was one of those days where I had a day out, had some luck and most things went in the gaps,” he said.
“I was proud of the way I was able to bat that day because I was the only batsman in either team that got on top of the conditions. A bit of luck helped too.”
Such was the calibre of Hilly’s performance, media coverage quickly ensued after matchday, highlighted by a Triple M interview.
Furthermore, former Magpies captain-coach Brendan Drew was outward in his praise for a knock that also allayed any question of Simon’s ability to score difficult runs.
“One critic he’s maybe had over his career is how many tough runs does he get and as I said after the game that’s the best innings I’ve ever seen in terms of toughness and doing what you can for the team,” he said.
This is the lowest score featured in our countdown. But, without doubt, this was Hilly’s best hundred for the club and it will forever be remembered as a defining day in his career and the history of Camberwell Magpies Cricket Club. As we reach the climax of this countdown, it is clear to see what an outstanding contributor Simon Hill has been for Camberwell over his 299 games so far, embedding himself within the fabric of the club through his performances and character.
Everyone within the Magpies community wishes him all the best in his 300th game this week, and indeed all the games to follow!
See the match scorecard here.
