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:
Some say that as a batsman there is only one thing better than a ton in a losing side… a ton in a winning one.
That is exactly what Hilly compiled against Prahan all the way back in February 2008, hitting 156 out of the Pies 331 runs to comfortably see the team home by 79 runs on first innings totals. At the crease with the score at 3/101 and both set batsmen out, Simon scored about three quarters of Camberwell’s remaining runs to surpass Prahan’s 252, with no other player reaching 20. The knock was so perfectly constructed that the century and winnings runs were achieved simultaneously, a feat that was recognised by number 10 Matt Rafter at the other end.
“Shafter is a pretty intense bloke on the field and he wrapped me up in a big hug and was screaming at me,” Hilly noted.
A match winning 156 would be considered a day out by any standard, but Hilly also contributed without the willow in hand, snaring two first innings wickets and taking a catch to complete an all-round performance. Commenting on this, Hilly played with a straight bat:
“We may have been a bit light on for bowling,” he said.
In fact, it almost seems a crime that he wasn’t thrown the ball for the obligatory four overs that Prahan faced in their second innings to conclude the match. I am sure we can all forgive this though, as Hilly had definitely earned himself a moment to savour his performance on the field, and even more so back in the clubrooms after the sun had set on Toorak Park.
See the match scorecard here.
