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:
As the performances in the rest of this list will reveal, once Hilly is in he is exceedingly difficult to dismiss.
His 169* against Melbourne University in 2013/14 is testament to this, an anchoring unbeaten innings that propelled the Pies to 3/345 against a strong attack at University Oval.
Much of Hilly’s memory of this innings is of the oppressive conditions the match was played under.
“I remember it was hot. It was one of those 40*C days and a strong northerly,” Simon said.
“I was so tired towards the end of the innings that the only shot I could play was a dink into point for a single. I was knackered. It was a Saturday-Sunday game and I moved like a large ship in the field on the Sunday”.
These valuable runs ended up being the difference in the match, as Melbourne Uni were bowled out for 272 in reply.
Furthermore, personal bragging rights were also earned when Hilly dispatched former CMCC player James Bett to all corners of the ground in a brief but entertaining three over spell that conceded 23 runs. This certainly doesn’t mean he was out to discriminate though, as he attacked all bowlers while going at a strike rate of 80 throughout his time at the crease that included 20 fours and three sixes.
See the match scorecard here.
