Vernon Hill (cricketer)
Encyclopedia
Vernon Tickell Hill was a cricket
er who made 140 first-class
appearances for Somerset
and Oxford University
between 1891 and 1912. He first played for Somerset during their successful 1890 season
. He made his top-score of 116 against Kent
in 1898, sharing a seventh wicket partnership
of 240 with Sammy Woods
. He was an infrequent bowler, claiming 31 career first-class wickets with his right-arm fast-medium
bowling, but never taking more than six wickets in a season. Hill twice toured the United States of America, first as a member of F Mitchell
's XI, and then as a member of PF Warner
's XI.
. His elder brother Eustace
also played for Somerset while his younger brother Percy played minor counties cricket for Glamorgan. Vernon's sons Mervyn
and Evelyn
played for Somerset. Mervyn also played first-class cricket for Glamorgan.
where he was a contemporary of Lionel Palairet
. He went to Winchester College
in 1884, was in the second eleven in 1886 and the first eleven from 1887 to 1889. At Winchester he was mainly known as a bowler. In these years he made appearances for the College against Eton
. He played four games for Somerset in their undefeated summer of 1890, aged just 19, helping them regain first-class status. In the following 1891 County Championship
, he appeared in nine of the county's twelve matches, also playing one match for Oxford University
against Oxfordshire
. He played nine times in first-class university matches for Oxford in 1892, under the captaincy of his friend and Somerset teammate Lionel Palairet
. It was while playing for Oxford in the Varsity match
that Hill hit his first century, a 100 minute 114, adding 178 in a sixth wicket stand with Malcolm Jardine
. Hill played for Somerset again through the summer, scoring 224 runs in his 13 innings for the county. In 1893, Hill played four more times for the University without making a notable impression on the scorecard.
being his top-score. His attacking style lent itself to quick scoring, but not always to making big totals. Of his 114 in the Varsity match, Wisden
says that he hit with "a power which was absolutely amazing". In From Sammy to Jimmy: The Official History of Somerset County Cricket Club, Peter Roebuck
describes his intent "to hit every ball as far as he could". During his time at Winchester, Hill had been used as a bowler, but was rarely used at Somerset. In 1894 against Nottinghamshire
, he was brought on as the seventh change bowler, only wicket-keeper Leslie Gay
and fellow opener Richard Palairet
unused. In his 1.4 overs, Hill claimed three wickets for the expense of only a single run.
, including an annual Gentlemen v Players match. Glamorgan benefited greatly both socially and financially from these fixtures, and it is likely that without Hill's work, Glamorgan would not have been able to achieve first-class status as early as 1921. During this time he was a partner in the firm W R Corfield and Co, ship managers and ship brokers. The partnership was formally dissolved on 1 June 1908, with William Reginald Corfield continuing the business on his own.
; the other partners were Gwynnedd Blanche Hill, Eric Sanderson Armstrong and Ernest Carter and Jack Robson Carter. The partnership was dissolved on 1 October 1925, with Hill and Gwynnedd Blanche Hill continuing the business.
in 12th Battalion, King's Royal Rifle Corps
on 7 December 1914. This was one of the so-called Service Battalions, raised as part of Kitchener's Army
. At the time he was commissioned, the battalion was based at Blackdown Camp and moved to Hindhead
in February 1915, and Larkhill
in April, before landing at Boulogne on 21 July 1915. The battalion was part of 60 Infantry Brigade in 20th (Light) Division. Hill served in France, and by the time he relinquished his commission on 12 May 1919 on demobilisation, had been promoted to temporary major and appears to have transferred to the General List.
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
er who made 140 first-class
First-class cricket
First-class cricket is a class of cricket that consists of matches of three or more days' scheduled duration, that are between two sides of eleven players and are officially adjudged first-class by virtue of the standard of the competing teams...
appearances for Somerset
Somerset County Cricket Club
Somerset County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Somerset...
and Oxford University
Oxford University Cricket Club
Oxford University Cricket Club is a first-class cricket team, representing the University of Oxford. It plays its home games at the University Parks in Oxford, England...
between 1891 and 1912. He first played for Somerset during their successful 1890 season
Somerset County Cricket Club in 1890
The 1890 season saw Somerset County Cricket Club playing thirteen fixtures against other county teams. These matches were not considered first-class, after Somerset had five years earlier been removed from the County Championship due to playing too few matches against other first-class counties...
. He made his top-score of 116 against Kent
Kent County Cricket Club
Kent County Cricket Club is one of the 18 first class county county cricket clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the county of Kent...
in 1898, sharing a seventh wicket partnership
Partnership (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, two batsmen always bat in partnership, although only one is on strike at any time. The partnership between two batsmen will come to an end when one of them is dismissed or retires, or the innings comes to a close In the sport of cricket, two batsmen always bat in...
of 240 with Sammy Woods
Sammy Woods
Samuel Moses James "Sammy" Woods was an Australian sportsman who represented both Australia and England at Test cricket, and appeared thirteen times for England at rugby union, including five times as captain. He also played at county level in England at both soccer and hockey...
. He was an infrequent bowler, claiming 31 career first-class wickets with his right-arm fast-medium
Fast bowling
Fast bowling, sometimes known as pace bowling, is one of the two main approaches to bowling in the sport of cricket. The other is spin bowling...
bowling, but never taking more than six wickets in a season. Hill twice toured the United States of America, first as a member of F Mitchell
Frank Mitchell
Frank Mitchell was a cricketer and rugby union player.-School, University and Yorkshire:...
's XI, and then as a member of PF Warner
Plum Warner
Sir Pelham Francis Warner MBE , affectionately and better known as Plum Warner, or even "the Grand Old Man" of English cricket was a Test cricketer....
's XI.
Family
Vernon was the son of Sir Edward Stock HillEdward Stock Hill
Sir Edward Stock Hill, KCB, was a Conservative Party politician in the United Kingdom who served as Member of Parliament for Bristol South from 1886 to 1900....
. His elder brother Eustace
Eustace Hill
Eustace Tickell Hill was a cricketer who made two first-class appearances for Somerset. The older brother of Vernon Hill, he first appeared for Somerset during their successful 1890 season. In a season in which Somerset remained undefeated against other county sides, Hill scored 20 and 0 batting...
also played for Somerset while his younger brother Percy played minor counties cricket for Glamorgan. Vernon's sons Mervyn
Mervyn Hill
Mervyn Llewellyn Hill played first-class cricket as a wicketkeeper and batsman for Somerset between 1921 and 1932, and also appeared in matches for Glamorgan and Cambridge University...
and Evelyn
Evelyn Hill
Evelyn Vernon Llewellyn Hill played first-class cricket for Somerset from 1926 to 1929. He was born at Cyntwell, Cardiff, Wales and died at Weston-super-Mare, Somerset.-Family and background:...
played for Somerset. Mervyn also played first-class cricket for Glamorgan.
Early life
Vernon Hill initially attended Rev. J Cornish's School at ClevedonClevedon
Clevedon is a town and civil parish in the unitary authority of North Somerset, which covers part of the ceremonial county of Somerset, England...
where he was a contemporary of Lionel Palairet
Lionel Palairet
Lionel Charles Hamilton Palairet was a famous cricketer of the so-called "Golden Age" of English cricket before the First World War...
. He went to Winchester College
Winchester College
Winchester College is an independent school for boys in the British public school tradition, situated in Winchester, Hampshire, the former capital of England. It has existed in its present location for over 600 years and claims the longest unbroken history of any school in England...
in 1884, was in the second eleven in 1886 and the first eleven from 1887 to 1889. At Winchester he was mainly known as a bowler. In these years he made appearances for the College against Eton
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
. He played four games for Somerset in their undefeated summer of 1890, aged just 19, helping them regain first-class status. In the following 1891 County Championship
County Championship
The County Championship is the domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales...
, he appeared in nine of the county's twelve matches, also playing one match for Oxford University
Oxford University Cricket Club
Oxford University Cricket Club is a first-class cricket team, representing the University of Oxford. It plays its home games at the University Parks in Oxford, England...
against Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire County Cricket Club
Oxfordshire County Cricket Club is one of the county clubs which make up the Minor Counties in the English domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Oxfordshire and playing in the Minor Counties Championship and the MCCA Knockout Trophy...
. He played nine times in first-class university matches for Oxford in 1892, under the captaincy of his friend and Somerset teammate Lionel Palairet
Lionel Palairet
Lionel Charles Hamilton Palairet was a famous cricketer of the so-called "Golden Age" of English cricket before the First World War...
. It was while playing for Oxford in the Varsity match
The University Match (cricket)
The University Match in a cricketing context is generally understood to refer to the annual fixture between Oxford University Cricket Club and Cambridge University Cricket Club...
that Hill hit his first century, a 100 minute 114, adding 178 in a sixth wicket stand with Malcolm Jardine
Malcolm Jardine
Malcolm Robert Jardine was an English first-class cricketer who played 46 matches, mainly for Oxford University. Although his first-class record was not impressive, he scored 140 in the University Match of 1892 using an unorthodox batting method...
. Hill played for Somerset again through the summer, scoring 224 runs in his 13 innings for the county. In 1893, Hill played four more times for the University without making a notable impression on the scorecard.
Somerset (1893–1902)
In addition to his four matches for the University in 1893, Hill made seven appearances for Somerset that summer, but his poor form with the bat was replicated for both sides. He failed to make a first-class half-century all season, the 47 scored in Somerset's innings and 170 run victory over GloucestershireGloucestershire County Cricket Club
Gloucestershire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Gloucestershire. Its limited overs team is called the Gloucestershire Gladiators....
being his top-score. His attacking style lent itself to quick scoring, but not always to making big totals. Of his 114 in the Varsity match, Wisden
Wisden
The Wisden Group was a group of companies formed by John Wisden & Co Ltd, publishers of Wisden Cricketers' Almanack. As well as John Wisden & Co, the group included the The Wisden Cricketer magazine, Cricinfo – the world's highest traffic cricket website – and the Hawk-Eye computerised...
says that he hit with "a power which was absolutely amazing". In From Sammy to Jimmy: The Official History of Somerset County Cricket Club, Peter Roebuck
Peter Roebuck
Peter Michael Roebuck was an English cricketer who achieved later renown as an Australian newspaper columnist and radio commentator. A consistent county performer with over 25,000 runs, and "one of the better English openers of the 1980s", Roebuck captained the English county side Somerset...
describes his intent "to hit every ball as far as he could". During his time at Winchester, Hill had been used as a bowler, but was rarely used at Somerset. In 1894 against Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club
Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Nottinghamshire, and the current county champions. Its limited overs team is called the Nottinghamshire Outlaws...
, he was brought on as the seventh change bowler, only wicket-keeper Leslie Gay
Leslie Gay
Leslie Hewitt Gay, born at Brighton on 24 March 1871 and died at Sidmouth, Devon, on 1 November 1949, was a cricketer who played for Cambridge University, Hampshire, Somerset and England. As a footballer, he played for Cambridge University, the Corinthians and England.Leslie Gay was educated at...
and fellow opener Richard Palairet
Richard Palairet
Richard Cameron North Palairet, born 25 June 1871 at Grange-over-Sands, then in Lancashire and died 11 February 1955 at Budleigh Salterton, Devon was a cricketer who played first-class cricket for Oxford University and Somerset...
unused. In his 1.4 overs, Hill claimed three wickets for the expense of only a single run.
Return to Wales (1903–1907)
Just after the turn of the century, Hill returned to his native Wales and took over the captaincy of Cardiff Cricket Club. He also took on a large role off the field, organising fund-raising fixtures at Cardiff Arms ParkCardiff Arms Park
Cardiff Arms Park , also known as The Arms Park, is primarily known as a rugby union stadium, but it also has a bowling green, and is situated in the centre of Cardiff, Wales. The Arms Park was host to the British Empire and Commonwealth Games in 1958, and hosted four games in the 1991 Rugby World...
, including an annual Gentlemen v Players match. Glamorgan benefited greatly both socially and financially from these fixtures, and it is likely that without Hill's work, Glamorgan would not have been able to achieve first-class status as early as 1921. During this time he was a partner in the firm W R Corfield and Co, ship managers and ship brokers. The partnership was formally dissolved on 1 June 1908, with William Reginald Corfield continuing the business on his own.
Somerset (1908–1912)
In 1908, Hill moved back to the South West and nineteen further games for Somerset. After a number of games in both the 1908 and 1909 seasons, his appearances were limited in each of the following three years, and his last match was played in May 1912. In 1925, Hill was one of five partners in Woodspring & Sand Bay Dairies in Weston-super-MareWeston-super-Mare
Weston-super-Mare is a seaside resort, town and civil parish in the unitary authority of North Somerset, which is within the ceremonial county of Somerset, England. It is located on the Bristol Channel coast, south west of Bristol, spanning the coast between the bounding high ground of Worlebury...
; the other partners were Gwynnedd Blanche Hill, Eric Sanderson Armstrong and Ernest Carter and Jack Robson Carter. The partnership was dissolved on 1 October 1925, with Hill and Gwynnedd Blanche Hill continuing the business.
Military service
Despite being 43 when the First World War began, Hill joined the British Army, being commissioned as a temporary captainCaptain (British Army and Royal Marines)
Captain is a junior officer rank of the British Army and Royal Marines. It ranks above Lieutenant and below Major and has a NATO ranking code of OF-2. The rank is equivalent to a Lieutenant in the Royal Navy and to a Flight Lieutenant in the Royal Air Force...
in 12th Battalion, King's Royal Rifle Corps
King's Royal Rifle Corps
The King's Royal Rifle Corps was a British Army infantry regiment, originally raised in colonial North America as the Royal Americans, and recruited from American colonists. Later ranked as the 60th Regiment of Foot, the regiment served for more than 200 years throughout the British Empire...
on 7 December 1914. This was one of the so-called Service Battalions, raised as part of Kitchener's Army
Kitchener's Army
The New Army, often referred to as Kitchener's Army or, disparagingly, Kitchener's Mob, was an all-volunteer army formed in the United Kingdom following the outbreak of hostilities in the First World War...
. At the time he was commissioned, the battalion was based at Blackdown Camp and moved to Hindhead
Hindhead
Hindhead is a village in Surrey, England, about 11 miles south-west of Guildford. Neighbouring settlements include Haslemere, Grayshott and Beacon Hill. Hindhead is the highest village in Surrey...
in February 1915, and Larkhill
Larkhill
Larkhill is a garrison town in the civil parish of Durrington, Wiltshire, England. It is a short distance west of Durrington village proper and north of the prehistoric monument of Stonehenge. It is about north of Salisbury....
in April, before landing at Boulogne on 21 July 1915. The battalion was part of 60 Infantry Brigade in 20th (Light) Division. Hill served in France, and by the time he relinquished his commission on 12 May 1919 on demobilisation, had been promoted to temporary major and appears to have transferred to the General List.