Clem Hill
1866627
222521590
2008-06-29T20:07:08Z
Mattinbgn
2106820
/* Brawl and boycott */ add link
{{Infobox cricketer biography
| playername = Clem Hill
| female =
| image = ClemHill.jpg
| country = Australia
| fullname = Clement Hill
| nickname = Kruger
| living =
| partialdates =
| dayofbirth = 18
| monthofbirth = 3
| yearofbirth = 1877
| placeofbirth = [[Hindmarsh, South Australia]]
| countryofbirth = [[Australia]]
| dayofdeath = 5
| monthofdeath = 9
| yearofdeath = 1945
| placeofdeath = [[Parkville, Victoria]]
| countryofdeath = [[Australia]]
| heightft =
| heightinch =
| heightm = 1.75
| batting = Left-hand batsman
| bowling = Right-arm [[leg spin]]
| role = Batsman
| international = true
| testdebutdate = 22 June
| testdebutyear = 1896
| testdebutagainst = England
| testcap = 74
| lasttestdate = 23 February
| lasttestyear = 1912
| lasttestagainst = England
| club1 = [[Southern Redbacks|South Australia]]
| year1 = 1892/93–1922/23
| deliveries = balls
| columns = 2
| column1 = [[Test cricket|Tests]]
| matches1 = 49
| runs1 = 3412
| bat avg1 = 39.21
| 100s/50s1 = 7/19
| top score1 = 191
| deliveries1 = –
| wickets1 = –
| bowl avg1 = –
| fivefor1 = –
| tenfor1 = –
| best bowling1 = –
| catches/stumpings1 = 33/–
| column2 = [[First-class cricket|First-class]]
| matches2 = 252
| runs2 = 17213
| bat avg2 = 43.57
| 100s/50s2 = 45/83
| top score2 = 365*
| deliveries2 = 510
| wickets2 = 10
| bowl avg2 = 32.20
| fivefor2 = –
| tenfor2 = –
| best bowling2 = 2-10
| catches/stumpings2 = 168/1
| date= 26 January
| year = 2008
| source = http://www.cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/0/210/210.html CricketArchive
}}
'''Clement "Clem" Hill''' ([[March 18]], [[1877]] in [[Hindmarsh, South Australia|Hindmarsh]], [[Adelaide]], [[South Australia]] – [[September 5]], [[1945]] in [[Parkville, Victoria|Parkville]], [[Melbourne]], [[Victoria, Australia|Victoria]]) was an [[Australia]]n [[cricketer]] who played 49 [[Test cricket|Test matches]] as a specialist [[batsman]] between 1896 and 1912. He [[Captain (cricket)|captained]] the [[Australia national cricket team|Australian team]] in ten Tests, winning five and losing five. A prolific [[run (cricket)|run]] scorer, Hill scored 3,412 runs in Test cricket—a world record at the time of his retirement—at an [[batting average#cricket|average]] of 39.21 per [[innings#cricket|innings]], including seven [[century (cricket)|centuries]]. In 1902, Hill was the first batsman to make 1,000 Test runs in a [[calendar year]], a feat that would not be repeated for 45 years. His innings of 365 scored against [[New South Wales Blues|New South Wales]] for [[Southern Redbacks|South Australia]] in 1900–01 was a [[Sheffield Shield]] record for 27 years. The [[South Australian Cricket Association]] named a [[grandstand]] at the [[Adelaide Oval]] in his honour in 2003 and he was inducted into the [[Australian Cricket Hall of Fame]] in 2005.
A short and stocky left-handed batsman, Hill had a crouched, somewhat awkward stance. He gripped the bat low on the handle, playing with a strong bottom hand. His batting style was nonetheless attractive and effective and he was especially strong on the [[leg side]] and when [[batting (cricket)|cutting]]. Able to score quickly when required, he was also recognised for his patience and strong defence. Hill normally batted at [[Batting order (cricket)|No. 3]] and, along with his contemporary [[Victor Trumper]], he was a mainstay of the Australian batting line-up in the early years of the 20th century. Hill had a strong throwing arm and was an excellent outfielder. He was a popular team-mate and captain, respected for his directness, honesty and cheerfulness.
He played his first [[first-class cricket]] match for South Australia while still a schoolboy, aged 16. By the time he was 19, he had been included in the Australian team touring England in 1896, where he made his Test match début. At the [[Melbourne Cricket Ground]] two years later, Hill scored 188; his maiden Test century and still the highest score in [[The Ashes|Ashes Tests]] by a player under 21. He was named one of [[Wisden Cricketers of the Year]] in 1899, despite missing half the English season due to illness. In the 1901–02 season, Hill was [[dismissal (cricket)|dismissed]] in consecutive innings for 99, 98 and 97. In total he was dismissed between 90 and 99 five times in Test cricket. In 1903–04, Hill was at the centre of a riot at the [[Sydney Cricket Ground]] after he was adjudged [[run out]] in a Test match against England. With [[Roger Hartigan]] he still holds the Australian Test record [[partnership (cricket)|partnership for the eighth wicket]]—243, made against England at [[Brisbane Cricket Ground|the Gabba]] in Brisbane in 1907–08.
Hill had a strained relationship with Australian cricket authorities. He turned down an invitation to tour England in 1909 due to his unhappiness with the contract terms offered. Despite this, he was appointed Test captain in 1910–11 for the series against [[South Africa national cricket team|South Africa]]. His Test cricket career ended in controversy after he was involved in a brawl with cricket administrator and fellow Test selector [[Peter McAlister]] in 1912. He was one of the "[[Big Six cricket dispute of 1912|Big Six]]", a group of leading Australian cricketers who boycotted the [[1912 Triangular Tournament]] in England when the players were stripped of the right to appoint the tour manager. The boycott effectively ended his Test career. After retiring from cricket, Hill worked in the [[Thoroughbred racing in Australia|horse racing]] industry as a stipendiary steward and later as a [[handicapping|handicapper]] for races including the [[Caulfield Cup]]. Hill died in 1945 aged 68 when thrown from a [[tram]] in [[Melbourne]] in a traffic accident.
==Early life==
Hill was born in 1877 in [[Adelaide]], [[South Australia]], to Henry John Hill (known as John) and his wife Rebecca, née Saunders.<ref name="ADB">{{cite web | last = Daly | first = John A. | year = 1983 | url = http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A090300b.htm | title = Hill, Clement (Clem) (1877 - 1945) | work = Australian Dictionary of Biography - Online Edition | publisher = Australian National University | accessdate = 2008-01-18}}</ref> Clem was one of eight sons and eight daughters in a family that was heavily involved in cricket. His father scored a [[century (cricket)|century]] (102 [[not out]]) for North Adelaide against the touring [[Kent County Cricket Club]], reportedly the first century scored at the [[Adelaide Oval]].<ref name="Pollard">Pollard (1988), pp. 530–533.</ref> Six other brothers played for [[Southern Redbacks|South Australia]] and in 1912–1913 there were several instances of three Hill brothers in the same representative team.<ref name="Pollard"/>
Clem's father was prominent in the [[Methodism|Methodist Church]] and sent Clem to be educated at [[Prince Alfred College]], the local Methodist school.<ref name="ADB"/><ref name="ADBJohn">{{cite web | year = 1972 | url = http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A040447b.htm | title = Hill, Henry John (1847 - 1926) | work = Australian Dictionary of Biography - Online Edition | publisher = Australian National University | accessdate = 2008-01-18}}</ref> "Inter-collegiate" matches, the annual fixtures against rivals [[St Peter's College, Adelaide|St Peter's College]], were fiercely contested. Hill played his first inter-collegiate match at the age of 13, [[wicket-keeper|keeping wicket]] and batting at number ten.<ref name="ADB"/> His hands suffered from keeping wicket to the fast bowling of future Test team-mate [[Ernie Jones]], leading to a decision to concentrate on batting.<ref name="Robinson">Robinson, pp. 116–126.</ref> At 16, he scored 360 in the inter-collegiate match, a schoolboy record, bettering the mark made earlier by [[Joe Darling]].<ref name="ADB"/> Despite this, a school sportsmaster threatened to leave him out of the School XI (cricket team) if he continued to play the risky [[batting (cricket)#Types of batting shots|hook shot]].<ref name="Robinson"/>
Hill made his [[first-class cricket]] début in March 1893 while still a schoolboy, just nine days past his 16th birthday.<ref name="Robinson"/> Included in the South Australian team to play [[Western Warriors|Western Australia]] at the [[Adelaide Oval]], he failed to score a run; dismissed for a [[duck (cricket)|duck]] in the first [[innings#cricket|innings]] and was 0 [[not out]] in the second as South Australia won by 10 wickets.<ref name="firstclassdebut">{{cite web | url = http://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/3/3915.html | title = South Australia v Western Australia: Other First-Class matches 1892/93 | publisher = CricketArchive | accessdate = 2008-01-18}}</ref> In the 1894–1895 season, at 17 years of age, he played the touring [[England cricket team|English team]] lead by [[Andrew Stoddart|A.E. Stoddart]], scoring 20 in his only innings in the match.<ref name="stoddart">{{cite web | url = http://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/4/4246.html | title = South Australia v AE Stoddart's XI: AE Stoddart's XI in Australia 1894/95 | publisher = CricketArchive | accessdate = 2008-01-18}}</ref>
Later the same season, Hill became a regular member of the South Australian team, making his [[Sheffield Shield]] debut against [[Victorian Bushrangers|Victoria]]. Batting at number nine, he scored only 21 but the manner in which he made them saw the Australian Test wicket-keeper [[Jack Blackham]] declare the discovery of another great batsman.<ref name="Robinson"/><ref name="shielddebut">{{cite web | url = http://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/4/4249.html | title = South Australia v Victoria: Sheffield Shield 1894/95 | publisher = CricketArchive | accessdate = 2008-01-18}}</ref> The English team returned to the Adelaide Oval and this time Hill scored his maiden first-class century, 150 not out, against quality bowlers including [[Tom Richardson]] and [[Bobby Peel]].<ref name="stoddart">{{cite web | url = http://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/4/4279.html | title = South Australia v AE Stoddart's XI: AE Stoddart's XI in Australia 1894/95 | publisher = CricketArchive | accessdate = 2008-01-18}}</ref> In his first season of regular first-class cricket, Hill scored 335 runs in nine innings at an average of 47.85.<ref name="Debutseason">{{cite web | url = http://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/0/210/f_Batting_by_Season.html | title = First-class Batting and Fielding in Each Season by Clem Hill | publisher = CricketArchive | accessdate = 2008-01-18}}</ref>
Hill was a talented [[Australian rules football]]er as well and played for the [[South Adelaide Football Club]] during the 1890s and early 1900s.<ref name="Football career">{{cite web | url = http://www.fullpointsfooty.net/hi-hz.htm#Clem%20Hill%20(South%20Adelaide) | title = Clem Hill Fullpointsfooty profile | publisher = Fullpointsfooty | accessdate = 2008-05-09}}</ref>
==Test cricket==
===Selection and early career===
Hill topped the averages for South Australia in the 1895–96 season, scoring 371 runs in seven innings.<ref name="Pollard"/> An Australian team to tour England in 1896 was selected towards the end of the season and Hill was not included. A disappointed Hill responded by scoring 206 against [[New South Wales Blues|New South Wales]], who were captained by an Australian selector, [[Tom Garrett]].<ref name="Robinson"/> Experienced cricket watchers were impressed with Hill's ability at such a young age to [[List of cricket terms#S|control the strike]], scoring 154 from his side's last 197 runs. Following this performance, public demand saw the selectors draft the 19-year-old Hill into the touring squad.<ref name="Robinson"/>
Hill was one of four batsmen touring England for the first time; [[Joe Darling]], [[Frank Iredale]] and [[Harry Donnan]] were the others. All four scored more than 1,000 runs for the tour with Hill scoring 1,196 runs at an average of 27.81.<ref>Wynne-Thomas, p. 227.</ref> According to ''[[Wisden Cricketers' Almanack]]'', Hill "was a brilliant success" and his batting on good wickets during the tour was "first rate".<ref name="Wisden1896">{{cite web | year = 1897 | url = http://content-www.cricinfo.com/wisdenalmanack/content/story/154328.html | title = The Australians in England, 1896 | work = Wisden Cricketers' Almanack - online archive | publisher = John Wisden & Co. | accessdate = 2008-01-18}}</ref> Hill made his Test début in the First Test at [[Lord's Cricket Ground|Lord's]]. Australia collapsed in the first innings to be all out for 53 with Hill [[bowled]] by [[George Lohmann]] for one. England made 292 runs in reply but the second innings saw an Australian fightback. The captain, [[Harry Trott]] (143), was partnered by [[Syd Gregory]] (103) to help Australia to a score of 347, setting England 109 runs to win. Hill failed again scoring only five, bowled this time by [[Jack Hearne (John Thomas Hearne)|Jack Hearne]].<ref name="Testdebut">{{cite web | url = http://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/4/4565.html | title = England v Australia: Australia in England 1896 (1st Test) | publisher = CricketArchive | accessdate = 2008-01-18}}</ref> Rain made England's task a little more difficult but they were able to make the runs for the loss of only four wickets.<ref name="WisdenDebut">{{cite web | year = 1897 | url = http://content-www.cricinfo.com/wisdenalmanack/content/story/153734.html | title = First Test Match: England v Australia 1896 | work = Wisden Cricketers' Almanack - online archive | publisher = John Wisden & Co. | accessdate = 2008-01-18}}</ref> Hill played in the remaining two Tests, but managed to score only 30 runs in the series.<ref name="1896Averages">{{cite web | url = http://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Events/ENG/Australia_in_England_1896/t_Australia_Batting.html | title = Test Batting and Fielding for Australia: Australia in England 1896 | publisher = CricketArchive | accessdate = 2008-02-24}}</ref> Australia lost the series and [[the Ashes]] by two Tests to one.<ref name="Wisden1896"/>
The next Ashes series was held in 1897–98 with Stoddart again assembling an English team to tour Australia. The team included players such as [[K.S. Ranjitsinhji]] and [[George Herbert Hirst|George Hirst]]. The touring team's first match on arrival was against South Australia and Hill batted well, scoring exactly 200.<ref name="1897tour">Wynne-Thomas, pp. 47–48.</ref> The First Test was played in Sydney and a minor controversy ensued when officials abandoned the first day's play due to earlier heavy rain without consulting the two captains.<ref name="FirstTest1897">{{cite web | year = 1899
| url = http://content-www.cricinfo.com/wisdenalmanack/content/story/153737.html | title = First Test Match: Australia v England 1897-98 | work = Wisden Cricketers' Almanack | publisher = John Wisden & Co. | accessdate = 2008-01-19}}</ref> The delay did not seem to affect the English who batted first and scored 551, including centuries by Ranjitsinhji and [[Archie MacLaren]]. The Australians were forced to [[follow-on]] after making 237. Batting again, Hill scored 96 but England managed to [[Result (cricket)|win the match by nine wickets]].<ref name="FirstTest1897score">{{cite web | url = http://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/4/4915.html | title = Australia v England: AE Stoddart's XI in Australia 1897/98 (1st Test) | publisher = CricketArchive | accessdate = 2008-01-19}}</ref> The Second Test was played in Melbourne and Australia fought back, winning by an innings and 55 runs with Hill scoring 58.<ref name="SecondTest1897score">{{cite web | url = http://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/4/4921.html | title = Australia v England: AE Stoddart's XI in Australia 1897/98 (2nd Test) | publisher = CricketArchive | accessdate = 2008-01-19}}</ref> Another innings victory in the Third Test in Adelaide saw Australia leading the series two Tests to one.<ref name="1897tour"/>
[[Image:ClementHill.jpg|thumb|left|Hill, in the early 1900s]]
The teams returned to Melbourne for the Fourth Test. England started the match brilliantly, reducing Australia to 6/58<ref name="scores">See [[scoring (cricket)]] for an explanation of cricket score formats. This score and all others in the article follow the Australian format of wickets fallen followed by runs made.</ref> on a [[cricket pitch|pitch]] that assisted the bowlers.<ref name="Robinson"/> Hill, aged just 20, was watching at the [[non-striker]]'s end as the wickets fell. [[Hugh Trumble]] came to join him and together they began to rescue the Australian innings. When Hill reached his maiden Test century, he had scored all but 42 of his side's runs.<ref name="Robinson"/> Hill played balls pitched outside [[stump (cricket)|leg stump]] particularly well and [[batting (cricket)#Types of batting shots|drove]] beautifully throughout the innings.<ref name="FrithMelbourne">Frith, p. 59.</ref> At the [[List of cricket terms#T|tea interval]], Hill, feeling refreshed, mentioned to Trumble that he thought he would "have a go at them now". The experienced Trumble cautioned Hill, replying "You young devil, you have to stop there. Go along as you have been doing."<ref name="Robinson"/> Hill and Trumble made 165 runs batting together, still a record for a seventh wicket [[partnership (cricket)|partnership]] in Ashes Tests.<ref name="FrithMelbourne"/> Hill was 182 not out at the end of the day's play, the highest first-day innings against England in Australia, and leaving the ground was greeted by a barrage of photographers. After a rest day, Hill added only six more runs before dismissed at last by Hearne. His innings remains the highest in Ashes Tests by a player under 21.<ref name="Robinson"/> Batting for 294 minutes he gave only the one chance at dismissal.<ref name="FrithMelbourne"/> The journalist and former Test player [[Tom Horan]] wrote "Hill's innings will be talked of when the smallest boy who saw it will be white with the snows of time."<ref name="Robinson"/> Australia won the Test by 8 wickets to recover the Ashes.<ref name="FourthTest1897score">{{cite web | url = http://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/4/4927.html | title = Australia v England: AE Stoddart's XI in Australia 1897/98 (4th Test) | publisher = CricketArchive | accessdate = 2008-01-19}}</ref> That summer, Hill scored 1,196 runs in 19 innings including five centuries, the first Australian to score 1,000 runs in a home season.<ref name="Robinson"/>
===Consolidation===
During the Australian team's tour of England in 1899, Hill required surgery to remove a growth in his nose. The after-effects of the operation were more serious than expected; Hill lost an alarming amount of weight and strength and missed around half of the tour.<ref name="Wisden1899">{{cite web | last = Pardon | first = Sydney | year = 1900 | url = http://content-www.cricinfo.com/wisdenalmanack/content/story/151879.html | title = The Australians in England, 1899 | work = Wisden Cricketers' Almanack - online archive | publisher = John Wisden & Co. | accessdate = 2009-01-19}}</ref> Before this, Hill was recognised by ''[[Wisden Cricketers' Almanack]]'' as the best of the Australian batsmen that English summer.<ref name="Wisden1899"/> He scored 301 runs in three Tests at an average of 60.20,<ref name="1899Averages">{{cite web | url = http://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Events/ENG/Australia_in_England_1899/t_Australia_Batting.html | title = Test Batting and Fielding for Australia: Australia in England 1899 | publisher = CricketArchive | accessdate = 2008-01-19}}</ref> and was named as one of the [[Wisden Cricketers of the Year]].<ref name="CricketeroftheYear">{{cite web | year = 1900 | url = http://content-www.cricinfo.com/wisdenalmanack/content/story/154800.html | title = Cricketer of the year - 1900: Clement Hill | work = Wisden Cricketers' Almanack - online archive | publisher = John Wisden & Co. | accessdate = 2008-01-19}}</ref> His best performance of the series was in the Second Test at [[Lord's cricket ground|Lord's]]. Hill scored 135, sharing a partnership of 82 with [[Victor Trumper]], who was playing only his second Test match. Trumper went on to score 135 not out. Hill, who was dropped by Ranjitsinhji fielding at [[Slip (cricket)|slip]] when he had made 119, batted for 4 hours and hit 17 [[boundary (cricket)|boundaries]].<ref name="Lords1899">{{cite web | year = 1900 | url = http://content-www.cricinfo.com/wisdenalmanack/content/story/150163.html | title = Second Test match: England v Australia 1899 | work = Wisden Cricketers' Almanack - online archive | publisher = John Wisden & Co. | accessdate = 2008-01-19}}</ref> Australia won the Test, the only one to have a definite result, by 10 wickets and retained the Ashes.<ref>Wynne-Thomas, pp. 229–230.</ref>
[[Image:HillScoreboard.JPG|thumb|Hill standing in front of the Adelaide Oval scoreboard after scoring 365 against New South Wales in 1900–01]]
In 1900–01, Hill made a then record [[Sheffield Shield]] score for South Australia against New South Wales at the [[Adelaide Oval]]. He batted for 8 hours and 35 minutes for 365, including 35 boundaries. The record stood for 27 years until beaten by [[Bill Ponsford]].<ref name="Robinson"/> Hill averaged more than 100 runs for the season.<ref name="SeasonAverages">{{cite web | url = http://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/0/210/f_Batting_by_Season.html | title = First-class Batting and Fielding in Each Season by Clem Hill | publisher = CricketArchive | accessdate = 2007-01-19}}</ref> England returned to contest the Ashes in 1901–02, under the captaincy of [[Archie MacLaren]]. The English team was weakened by the unavailability of players such as Ranjitsinhji, Hirst, [[C.B. Fry]] and [[Wilfred Rhodes]]. The surprise selection was [[Sydney Barnes]], who had played most of his cricket in the [[Lancashire League (cricket)|Lancashire League]].<ref>Wynne-Thomas, pp. 51–52.</ref> Repeating the result of the series three years earlier, Australia lost the First Test but won the next four comfortably to retain the Ashes.<ref name="Wisden0102">{{cite web | year = 1903 | url = http://content-www.cricinfo.com/wisdenalmanack/content/story/153658.html | title = England in Australia, 1901-02: Mr. MacLaren's team in Australia. | work = Wisden Cricketers' Almanack – online archive | publisher = John Wisden & Co. | accessdate = 2008-01-19}}</ref> Hill was the leading run scorer in the series, with 521 runs including 99, 98 and 97 in successive innings.<ref>Martin-Jenkins, pp. 186–187.</ref>
Hill was the victim of bad luck during this sequence of scores between 90 and 99. At Melbourne during the New Years Test he scored 99; the first time a batsman was dismissed one run short of a century in Test cricket.<ref name="nervous nineties">Meher-Homji, p. 27.</ref> In the first innings in the next Test in Adelaide, having scored 98, Hill was caught by [[Johnny Tyldesley]] who was standing on the bicycle track surrounding the oval. Tyldesley attempted to call Hill back but Hill declined, saying the captains had agreed that the fence was the boundary, not the track. Under modern [[Laws of cricket|laws]], he would have been not out and the shot would count as six runs, allowing him his century. In the second innings, Hill's poor luck continued. He chopped down on a ball when 97 and then, to his horror, saw the ball rolling back towards his stumps. He attempted to hit the ball away from the stumps but accidentally knocked the [[Bail (cricket)|leg bail]] and was out, [[bowled]].<ref name="nervous nineties"/> The English writer, Simon Wilde, has described this sequence as an "unparalleled spell of nonagenarians' neurosis".<ref name="nervous nineties"/>
Hill visited England for a third time in [[Australian cricket team in England in 1902|1902 with the Australian team]] who won their fourth successive Test series. In the process the Australians "beat the records of all their predecessors in the country" by losing only two of 39 matches during the tour.<ref name="Wisden1902">{{cite web | year = 1903 | url = http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/wisdenalmanack/content/story/151848.html | title = The Australians in England 1902 | work = Wisden Cricketers' Almanack - online archive | publisher = John Wisden & Co. | accessdate = 2008-01-19}}</ref> For the second time, Hill scored more than 1,000 runs in an English summer; 1,534 at an average of 31.95 including four centuries.<ref name="SeasonAverages"/> Rain affected the first two Test matches at [[Edgbaston Cricket Ground|Edgbaston]] and Lord's and both teams moved to [[Sheffield]] without a win.<ref name="Wisden1902"/>
The Third Test, the first and only Test match played at [[Bramall Lane]], saw Hill play one of his finest innings on a poorly prepared [[Cricket pitch|pitch]] that made batting difficult.<ref name="Roebuck">Roebuck, pp. 79–80.</ref> Australia batted first and could only score 194, Barnes taking 6 wickets for 49 runs. In return [[Monty Noble]] and [[Jack Saunders]] bowled England out for 145 and Australia led by 49 runs on the first innings.<ref name="BramallLane">{{cite web | url = http://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/5/5991.html | title = England v Australia: Australia in England 1902 (3rd Test) | publisher = CricketArchive
| accessdate = 2008-01-18}}</ref> When [[Reggie Duff]] was dismissed in the second innings, Hill joined Trumper at the wicket. The pair scored 60 runs in half an hour before Trumper was out, caught by the [[wicket-keeper]]. He was followed quickly by the captain, Darling, out for a duck. [[Syd Gregory]] was the next batsman and with Hill added 107 runs in only 67 minutes. In semi-darkness and facing fast and accurate bowling on a poor pitch, Hill pushed on to reach his century after 115 minutes of batting. He had given two difficult chances, one at slip when 74 and in the outfield at 77 before he was caught by MacLaren from the bowling of Jackson for 119.<ref name="Roebuck"/> Australia won the Test by 143 runs.<ref name="BramallLane"/> The final two Tests were thrillers. Australia won the Fourth Test at [[Old Trafford Cricket Ground|Old Trafford]] by a mere three runs with Trumble taking ten wickets for the match.<ref name="1902Manchester">{{cite web | url = http://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/6/6024.html | title = England v Australia: Australia in England 1902 (4th Test) | publisher = CricketArchive | accessdate =2008-01-19}}</ref> England won the Fifth and final Test at [[The Oval]] by one wicket.<ref name="1902Oval">{{cite web | url = http://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/6/6056.html | title = England v Australia: Australia in England 1902 (5th Test) | publisher = CricketArchive | accessdate =2008-01-19}}</ref> Chasing 263, England were 5/48 when [[Gilbert Jessop]] began an extraordinary display of hitting, scoring a century in only 75 minutes to help England to victory.<ref>Roebuck, pp. 133–134.</ref> Of Hill's form during the tour, ''Wisden Cricketers' Almanack'' said "Clement Hill played many fine innings, his best performance being in the Test match at Sheffield, but, even allowing for the soft wickets, I do not think he was so great a batsman as in 1899."<ref name="Wisden1902"/>
On the return trip to Australia, the touring team stopped in [[South Africa]] to play three Tests, the first Tests between the two nations. Hill was the most successful Australian batsman in the series, scoring 327 runs at an average of 81.75.<ref name="SA1902">{{cite web | url = http://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Events/RSA/Australia_in_South_Africa_1902-03/t_Australia_Batting.html | title = Test Batting and Fielding for Australia: Australia in South Africa 1902/03 | publisher = CricketArchive | accessdate = 2008-01-20}}</ref> In the First Test he made 145 when Australia was in trouble after [[follow-on|following-on]], an innings described in ''Wisden'' as "marred by very few mistakes".<ref name="SA19021stTest">{{cite web | year = 1903 | url = http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/wisdenalmanack/content/story/154042.html | title = First Test Match: South Africa v Australia 1902-03 | work = Wisden Cricketers' Almanack - online archive | publisher = John Wisden & Co. | accessdate = 2008-01-20}}</ref> In the Third Test, Hill batted through much of the Australian first innings to make 91 not out. Australia won the Test by ten wickets and the series two Tests to nil.<ref name="1902SA3rdTest">{{cite web | url = http://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/6/6112.html | title = South Africa v Australia: Australia in South Africa 1902/03 (3rd Test) | publisher = CricketArchive | accessdate = 2008-01-20}}</ref>
===Establishment===
[[Image:HillandDog.jpg|thumb|Hill attempts to stop a pitch invading dog in the Fourth Test in Melbourne in 1908.]]
For the first time under the auspices of the [[Marylebone Cricket Club]], an [[English cricket team in Australia in 1903-04|English team]] travelled to Australia for the 1903–04 season to contest the Ashes. Contrary to expectations before the tour, the English won the series and the Ashes three Tests to two.<ref name="1903AshesWisden">{{cite web | year = 1905 | url = http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/wisdenalmanack/content/story/150175.html | title = The M.C.C.'s team in Australia, 1903-04 | work = Wisden Cricketers' Almanack - online edition | publisher = John Wisden & Co. | accessdate = 2008-01-20}}</ref> Hill trailed Trumper and Noble in the series averages, making 276 runs at 27.60 without ever getting to 100 in an innings.<ref name="1903EngTestAverages">{{cite web | url = http://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Events/AUS/Marylebone_Cricket_Club_in_Australia_1903-04/t_Australia_Batting.html | title = Test Batting and Fielding for Australia: Marylebone Cricket Club in Australia 1903/04 | publisher = CricketArchive | accessdate = 2007-01-20}}</ref> In the First Test, Hill was at the centre of what ''Wisden'' described as a "very regrettable and indeed disgraceful [crowd] demonstration".<ref name="Demonstration">{{cite web
| year = 1905 | url = http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/wisdenalmanack/content/story/153435.html | title = First Test match, Sydney: Australia v England 1903-04| work = Wisden Cricketers' Almanack - online edition | publisher = John Wisden & Co. | accessdate = 2008-01-20}}</ref> Batting with Trumper, Hill had run well past the stumps at the bowler's end for a fourth run. The English return gave the Australian pair an opportunity for an [[Overthrow (cricket)|overthrow]]. Hill had to run the entire length of the pitch. [[Albert Relf]] at [[Fielding (cricket)|mid-on]] gathered and threw to the wicket-keeper, [[Dick Lilley]] who removed the [[stump (cricket)|bails]] and [[appeal (cricket)|appeal]]ed for the [[run out]]. [[Umpire (cricket)|Umpire]] [[Bob Crockett]] gave Hill out. Hill could not believe the decision as the ball had passed behind him when he slid his bat to make his ground.<ref name="Pollard"/> The crowd were also convinced that Hill was not out and began to hoot, chanting "Crock!, Crock!, Crock!"<ref name="Robinson"/> Bottles were thrown onto the surrounding cycle track and the English captain [[Plum Warner]] threatened to take his team from the ground. At the end of the day, Crockett required a police escort when leaving the ground.<ref name="Robinson"/> Hill's best performance of the series was at his home town, Adelaide, in the Third Test. Hill scored 88 before being dismissed by [[Ted Arnold]], caught by the wicket-keeper. Australia won the Test by 216 runs.<ref name="19043rdTest">{{cite web | url = http://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/6/6387.html | title = Australia v England: Marylebone Cricket Club in Australia 1903/04 (3rd Test) | publisher = CricketArchive | accessdate = 2008-01-20}}</ref>
Hill toured England for the last time with the [[Australian cricket team in England in 1905|1905 Australian team]]. The Test series was dominated by what was seen as uninspired cricket with England retaining the Ashes two Tests to nil.<ref>Wynne-Thomas, pp. 237–238.</ref> The Australian batting suffered from a lack of steadiness and Hill was one of the Australians criticised by ''Wisden'' that season; "[Hill] would certainly have met with more consistent success if he had retained his old self-control. He was somewhat indiscriminate in hitting at the off-ball, and many a time his impatience cost him his wicket."<ref name="1905AshesWisden">{{cite web | last = Pardon | first = Sydney | year = 1906 | url = http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/wisdenalmanack/content/story/155166.html | title = The Australians in England 1905 | work = Wisden Cricketers' Almanack - online edition | publisher = John Wisden & Co. | accessdate = 2008-01-20}}</ref> However ''Wisden'' praised his fielding, saying "Trumper, Hill, and Hopkins did any amount of fine work in the deep field".<ref name="1905AshesWisden"/>
The Australians recovered the Ashes from the 1907–08 English team, winning the series four Tests to one. England were hit by the loss of their captain, [[Arthur Jones (cricketer)|Arthur Jones]] who contracted an illness that threatened to develop into [[pneumonia]], causing him to miss the first three Tests.<ref name="Wisden1909">{{cite web | url = http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/wisdenalmanack/content/story/150192.html | title = The M.C.C.'s team in Australia, 1907-08 | work = Wisden Cricketers' Almanack | publisher = John Wisden & Co. | accessdate = 2008-01-20}}</ref> Hill, batting with team-mate [[Roger Hartigan]] playing his first Test match, set a record in the Third Test in Adelaide. Suffering from [[influenza]] and unable to field in the English first innings, Hill joined Hartigan at the fall of the [[partnership (cricket)|seventh wicket]]. During his innings, Hill vomited beside the pitch and had to quickly leave the field several times. The pair managed to bat on and take the match into a fourth day. Hartigan, whose leave from work had expired, was relieved to receive a [[telegram]] from his employer: "Stay as long as you are making runs."<ref name="Robinson"/> When Hartigan was dismissed for 116, the pair had together made 243 for the [[wicket#Partnership|eighth wicket]]—still an Australian Test record.<ref name="19083rdTest">{{cite web | url = http://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/7/7492.html | title = Australia v England: Marylebone Cricket Club in Australia 1907/08 (3rd Test) | publisher = CricketArchive | accessdate = 2008-01-20}}</ref><ref name="8thWicketPartnership">{{cite web | url = http://stats.cricinfo.com/ci/engine/records/fow/highest_partnerships_by_wicket.html?class=1;id=2;type=team
| title = Highest partnerships by wicket: Australia - Test matches | work = Records | publisher = Cricinfo | accessdate = 2008-01-20}}</ref> With [[Sammy Carter]], Hill continued before finally dismissed by [[Jack Crawford (cricketer)|Jack Crawford]] for 160, after 5 hours and 19 minutes of batting. At the end of his innings Hill was close to collapse but his efforts assisted his team defeat the English by 245 runs.<ref name="Robinson"/><ref name="19083rdTest"/>
===Captain===
Australia were due to tour England to contest the Ashes in 1909. Hill, along with other senior players, was fighting against a proposal to move the management of international tours away from the players to the new [[Cricket Australia|Australian Board of Control for International Cricket Matches]]. Hill by now was a team selector and strongly opposed the selection in the team of 40-year-old [[Peter McAlister]], who Hill claimed "was past his best" and "not suited to English conditions".<ref name="BigShip169">Haigh, p. 169.</ref> McAlister was also a member of the selection panel and was able to secure a majority for his selection. Hill accused his fellow selectors of conspiracy and said he had "decided to wash his hands of the affair" and that "he did not consider that the best men had been chosen".<ref name="BigShip169"/> Hill's relationship with McAlister would remain fractious. Hill was also a delegate on the Board of Control, representing the [[South Australian Cricket Association]] (SACA). At the Board meeting in February 1909 to set the terms to be offered to the players selected for the tour, the SACA delegates were outvoted on every point.<ref>Haigh, p. 170.</ref> Hill declined to accept the terms offered. Since his marriage in 1905, Hill had spent considerable time away from his wife with his commitments during two Test series against England and this may have also influenced his decision not to tour.<ref name="Robinson"/>
[[Image:AustralianCricketTeam1911.jpg|left|thumb|Hill (centre, third from left) was captain of the 1911–12 Australian team.]]
When Hill returned to the Test team it was as [[captain (cricket)|captain]] for a series against the visiting [[South Africa national cricket team]] in 1910–11. The South Africans, led by [[Aubrey Faulkner]], had a novel bowling attack consisting of several [[googly]] bowlers, such as [[Bert Vogler]], [[Reggie Schwarz]] and Faulkner himself and the [[chinaman (cricket)|chinaman]] bowler [[Charlie Llewellyn|Charlie "Buck" Llewellyn]]. The South Africans started the tour well, defeating a South Australian team unable to handle the unusual bowling approach.<ref>Pollard (1988), pp. 987–988.</ref> Hill, after consulting with other players, settled on a strategy of hitting the bowlers off their [[line and length|length]] with aggressive batting. Hill showed the way in the First Test at Sydney, scoring his first 100 runs in 98 minutes.<ref name="Robinson"/> In a partnership with [[Warren Bardsley]], the pair scored 224 runs in only two hours. After just 3 hours and 20 minutes at the crease, he was dismissed for 191; his highest Test score.<ref name="Robinson"/> Australia won the Test by an innings and 114 runs.<ref name="FirstTest1910">{{cite web | url = http://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/8/8312.html | title = Australia v South Africa: South Africa in Australia 1910/11 (1st Test) | publisher = CricketArchive | accessdate = 2008-01-20}}</ref> Australia won the Second Test in Melbourne after bowling the South Africans out for 80 in their second innings, but the South Africans fought back to win the Third Test in Adelaide by 38 runs.<ref name="SouthAfricans1910">{{cite web | year = 1912 | url = http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/wisdenalmanack/content/story/150202.html | title = The South Africans in Australia, 1910-11 | work = Wisden Cricketers' Almanack - online archive | publisher = John Wisden & Co. | accessdate = 2008-01-20}}</ref>
Australia won the Fourth Test by 508 runs after being sent in to bat by South Africa, who hoped to trap them on a [[sticky wicket|rain-affected wicket]]. The Australians managed to end the first day's play at 8/317 to avoid the trap and win the Test.<ref name="SAFourthTest">{{cite web | year = 1912 | url = http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/wisdenalmanack/content/story/150206.html | title = Fourth Test match: Australia v South Africa 1910-11 | work = Wisden Cricketers' Almanack - online archive | publisher = John Wisden & Co. | accessdate = 2008-01-20}}</ref> In the second innings, Hill hit another century (100) in only 100 minutes, with ''Wisden'' noting that he "play[ed] especially well".<ref name="SAFourthTest"/><ref name="1910fourthtest">{{cite web | url = http://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/8/8336.html | title = Australia v South Africa: South Africa in Australia 1910/11 (5th Test) | publisher = CricketArchive | accessdate = 2008-01-20}}</ref> Australia won the final Test and the series four Tests to one.<ref name="SouthAfricans1910"/>
===Brawl and boycott===
Hill's Test career ended in controversy amid another dispute with the Board of Control. He was once again appointed captain of the Australian team against an [[English cricket team in Australia in 1911-12|English side]] captained by [[Johnny Douglas]] in 1911–12. The English team included bowlers of the calibre of Barnes and [[Frank Foster (cricketer)|Frank Foster]] and, after losing the first Test in Sydney, won all four remaining Tests to secure the Ashes. Hill had a lean season with the bat, managing 274 runs at an average of 27.40.<ref name="1911averages">{{cite web | url = http://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Events/AUS/Marylebone_Cricket_Club_in_Australia_1911-12/t_Australia_Batting.html | title = Test Batting and Fielding for Australia: Marylebone Cricket Club in Australia 1911/12 | publisher = CricketArchive | accessdate = 2008-01-20}}</ref> The England bowlers were clearly superior to the Australian batsmen; Trumper was the only Australian to score a century during the Tests.<ref>Wynne-Thomas, pp. 66–68.</ref> While this series took place, the Board of Control made plans to usurp the commonly accepted right of the players to appoint the team manager when touring England. In response, a group of senior players, including Hill, threatened to withdraw from the next tour, to take place in 1912, unless their choice, [[Frank Laver]], was appointed.<ref name="Telegram">Haigh, pp. 215–217.</ref>
Matters came to a head when Hill sent a telegram to fellow selector, Peter McAlister, urging the inclusion of the New South Wales [[all-rounder]] [[Charlie Macartney]] in the team for the Fourth Test in Melbourne.<ref name="Telegram"/> The reply from McAlister—a member of the Board of Control who still bore some animosity towards Hill from past comments<ref>See above '"strongly opposed the selection in the team of 40 year old [[Peter McAlister]], who he claimed "was past his best" and "not suited to English conditions"'</ref>—to Hill's request was "... Still opposed to Macartney's inclusion. If [[Frank Iredale|Iredale]] (another selector) agrees with you as to Macartney's inclusion, I favour yourself standing down not [[Roy Minnett|Minnett]]."<ref name="Telegram"/> Hill saw the offer to remove himself from the team as sore provocation and his team-mates scorned the suggestion.<ref name="Telegram"/> Australia lost the Third Test by seven wickets. Macartney wrote later, "Persistent ill-feeling seriously affected the morale of the side."<ref name="Telegram"/> At a meeting held after the Test, the Board of Control rejected the players' petition and declared that the manager would be appointed by the Board alone. At a "special meeting" two weeks later, the Board appointed George Crouch from Queensland to the position of tour manager.<ref name="Telegram"/>
The following day, [[3 February]] [[1912]], the selection committee met in Sydney to decide the team for the Fourth Test. It was the first time Hill and McAlister had met since the exchange of telegrams. The pair exchanged insults with McAlister sharply criticising Hill's captaincy. Hill retorted, "In England, Armstrong wouldn't play under you. Did you ever win any except second rate games?"<ref name="Robinson"/>
McAlister replied, "I am a better captain than Trumper, Armstrong and yourself put together. You are the worst captain I have ever seen."<ref name="Robinson"/> Hill then warned McAlister to stop insulting him but McAlister repeated the remark. Losing control, Hill struck McAlister a blow across the face. The two then grappled for around ten minutes.<ref name="Robinson"/> Blood was drawn, staining their clothes and splashing on the other men present, Iredale and secretary Sydney Smith. At one stage, fearing that one or both combatants would fall through the window and onto the street, Smith grabbed hold of Hill's coat-tails. The fight ended with a bloody McAlister lying on the floor and Hill, unmarked, standing over him. Hill told Smith he could no longer work with McAlister. Smith then asked Hill to put his resignation in writing and the Board accepted it that evening.<ref name="Robinson"/>
The crowds at the Melbourne and Sydney Tests gave Hill three cheers when he arrived at the wicket.<ref name="Robinson"/> When Hill reached the batting crease in his last Test at Sydney, the umpire Bob Crockett said "there were tears in his eyes".<ref name="aftermath">Haigh, pp. 224–225.</ref> An ''[[in camera]]'' investigation into the fracas took place; the Board's only comment on the meeting was to report that it had been "satisfactorily settled". Hill was then offered an invitation to take part in the [[1912 Triangular Tournament]] in England.<ref name="aftermath"/> Hill declined the invitation, along with Armstrong, Trumper, Carter, Noble and [[Vernon Ransford]], who collectively became known as the "[[Big Six cricket dispute of 1912|Big Six]]".<ref name="Telegram"/> He never played Test cricket again.<ref name="Robinson"/>
===Retirement and legacy===
[[Image:Clem Hill graph.png|right|thumb|200px|An innings-by-innings breakdown of Hill's Test match batting career, showing runs scored (red bars) and the average of the last ten innings (blue line). The blue dots indicate an innings where he was not dismissed.<Ref name="testlist">{{cite web|url=http://stats.cricinfo.com/statsguru/engine/player/5662.html?class=1;template=results;type=allround;view=match |title= Statsguru - C Hill - Test matches - All-round analysis |accessdate=2008-04-15| publisher=[[Cricinfo]]}}</ref>]]
At the age of 43, Hill returned to first-class cricket for one match to assist in its re-establishment in Australia after the [[World War I|Great War]].<ref name="Robinson"/> In support of the [[benefit (sports)|benefit]]s of some former colleagues, he played in a further two first-class matches with his best score of 66 coming in a game against Victoria.<ref name="Postwar">{{cite web | url = http://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/10/10688.html | title = South Australia v Victoria: Sheffield Shield 1922/23 | publisher = CricketArchive | accessdate = 2008-01-24}}</ref> His last match was for an Australian XI against New South Wales played to support [[Bill Howell]]'s benefit.<ref name="Robinson"/>
In all Tests, Hill scored 3,412 runs at an average just under 40 runs per innings and including seven centuries.<ref name="StatPage">{{cite web
| url = http://www.cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/0/210/210.html | title = Clem Hill | publisher = CricketArchive | accessdate = 2008-01-24}}</ref> When he retired he had scored more runs in Test cricket than any other player; a record he held for 12 years until surpassed by [[Jack Hobbs]].<ref name="Progressive">{{cite news | last = Basevi | first = Travis | coauthors = Binoy, George | url = http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/227714.html | title = A record Bradman never had | work = Cricinfo Magazine | publisher = Cricinfo
| date = [[2005-11-29]] | accessdate = 2008-01-25}}</ref> In 1902 Hill was the first to score 1,000 Test runs in a [[calendar year]]; the next to do so was [[Denis Compton]] 45 years later in 1947.<ref name="nervous nineties"/> Prolific in Australian state cricket as well, he headed the South Australian first-class averages on ten occasions between 1895–96 and 1910–11. In successive innings in 1909–10 he scored 175 against Victoria in Adelaide, 205 against New South Wales and 185 against Victoria in Melbourne.<ref name="Pollard"/> He was the only Australian to score more than 17,000 runs in the period before pitches were protected from rain.<ref name="Robinson"/> In [[South Australian Grade Cricket League|club cricket]] he averaged more than 100 runs for the season on three occasions.<ref name="Pollard"/>
In 2003, the [[South Australian Cricket Association]] named the new southern [[grandstand]] at the [[Adelaide Oval]] the "Clem Hill Stand" in recognition of his contribution to South Australian cricket.<ref name="Stand">{{cite press release
| title = Chappell brothers and Clem Hill honoured at Adelaide Oval | publisher = South Australian Cricket Association | date = 2003-12-12
| url = http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/australia/content/story/125679.html | accessdate = 2008-01-24}}</ref> Hill was inducted into the [[Australian Cricket Hall of Fame]] in 2005.<ref name="HoF">{{cite web | year = 2005 | url = http://www.mcg.org.au/default.asp?pg=toursdisplay&articleid=1646
| title = Marsh, Hill into Hall of Fame | publisher = Melbourne Cricket Ground | accessdate = 2008-01-24}}</ref>
==Outside cricket==
Hill served an engineering [[apprenticeship]] at the government workshops in Islington.<ref name="ADB"/> On retirement from cricket, however, Hill began a career in [[Thoroughbred racing in Australia|horse racing]] administration. He was employed as a stipendiary steward with the [[South Australian Jockey Club]] and the [[Adelaide Racing Club]] and in 1937 he was appointed [[Handicapping|handicapper]] for the [[Melbourne Racing Club|Victoria Amateur Turf Club]] (VATC) in Melbourne.<ref name="Robinson"/> At the VATC he was responsible for setting the weights for the [[Caulfield Cup]], one of Australia's richest and most prestigious horse races.<ref name="Pollard"/> He served in this role for six years before poor health saw him take a less demanding role at the [[Geelong Racing Club]].<ref name="Pollard"/>
Hill married Florence Hart in [[Tasmania]] in 1905. The couple settled in Adelaide and raised two daughters, Lesley and Brenda. When he took up his role with the VATC, Hill and his family moved to [[Toorak, Victoria|Toorak]], an eastern suburb of Melbourne.<ref name="Robinson"/> In 1945, Hill was thrown from a [[tram]] in a traffic accident on busy [[Collins Street, Melbourne|Collins Street]] in inner Melbourne. He was taken to [[Royal Melbourne Hospital]] and died there soon after aged 68. His body was returned for burial at North Road Cemetery in the Adelaide suburb of [[Nailsworth, South Australia|Nailsworth]].<ref name="Robinson"/>
==Style and personality==
[[Image:HillBatting.jpg|thumb|Hill demonstrating his unusual grip and stance]]
Short and stocky, Hill was a gifted batsman who could score quickly when required.<ref name="Pollard"/><ref name="Robinson"/> ''Wisden'' described Hill as a "specially brilliant batsman on hard pitches".<ref name="Obit">{{cite web | url = http://content-www.cricinfo.com/wisdenalmanack/content/story/155698.html | title = Clement Hill| work = Wisden Cricketers' Almanack - online edition| publisher = John Wisden & Co| accessdate = 2008-01-25}}</ref> He had an awkward crouched stance, gripping the bat low on the handle.<ref name="Pollard"/> This limited his forward reach and power and reduced his effectiveness when [[batting (cricket)#Types of batting shots|driving]] but he compensated for this with quick footwork.<ref name="Robinson"/> Hill's strong bottom hand and his keen eye allowed him to play the [[batting (cricket)#Types of batting shots|cut shot]] cleanly and with confidence and to hit powerfully on the [[leg side]]. He preferred batting against [[fast bowling]] rather than slow and [[medium pace]] bowlers and he was a fearless exponent of the [[Batting (cricket)#types of batting shots|hook shot]]. Hill had a tendency to get out in the "[[nervous nineties]]", being dismissed five times between 90 and 99 in Test matches. This included a sequence in the 1901–02 series against England of 99, 98 and 97 in successive innings.<ref name="Pollard"/>
{{quote|While able to drive hard to the off or straight, usually with the ball kept down, Clem Hill scored chiefly on the leg side by skilful strokes perfectly timed and placed, the way in which he turned straight balls clear of fieldsmen being exceptional. Brilliant square and late cutting made Hill delightful to watch and in defence his style claimed admiration while his patience was unlimited|''Wisden'' obituary|<ref name="Obit"/>}}
An excellent [[fielding (cricket)|fieldsman]] in the deep, Hill had a powerful throwing arm. During a match at [[Leeds]] during the 1902 tour of England, he threw a ball from near the [[boundary (cricket)|boundary]], knocking down the [[stumps]] at one end and rebounding to hit the stumps the other end.<ref name="Pollard"/> During the same tour at [[Old Trafford Cricket Ground|Old Trafford]], Hill made a catch that ''Wisden'' claimed "will never be forgotten by [those present]".<ref name="Obit"/> A [[Dick Lilley]] hit to [[fielding (cricket)|square leg]] looked likely to clear the boundary. Hill ran from his position at [[fielding (cricket)|long on]], aided by the wind seemingly holding up the ball to take the catch in his outstretched hands; one that ''Wisden'' said "few fieldsmen would have thought worth attempting".<ref name="Obit"/>
Hill was a man of high ideals and was popular with his fellow players.<ref name="Pollard"/> [[Plum Warner|Pelham Warner]] commented on his pleasant nature and [[Robert Trumble]], an author and son of [[Hugh Trumble]], recalled him as honest, direct and without guile. An anecdote told about Hill had him hitting a low shot into shadows where [[Warren Bardsley]] was fielding. He completed one run and then asked the umpire if the ball had been caught. The shadow made it impossible for the umpire to see, so Hill then asked Bardsley, "Did you catch it?" When Bardsley replied in the affirmative, Hill immediately [[List of cricket terms#W|walked]] to the pavilion.<ref name="Robinson"/> When England won four Tests in a row in 1911–12, Hill managed to retain the confidence of his players. [[Frank Iredale]] wrote that Hill was a cheery [[Captain (cricket)|skipper]] whose men were happy under his leadership.<ref name="Robinson"/> Despite breaking many records, Hill showed little awareness of them. When watching [[Jack Hobbs]] break his record for the most runs in Test cricket at [[Headingley Stadium|Headingley]] in 1926, it was Hobbs' wife sitting nearby who had to remind Hill that the record was previously his.<ref name="Robinson"/>
==Notes==
:''References using [[Cricinfo]] or [[Wisden Cricketer's Almanack|Wisden]] may require free registration for access.''
{{reflist|2}}
==References==
*{{cite book |last=Frith|first=David|authorlink=David Frith |title=Australia versus England: An illustrated history of every Test match since 1877 |year=2007|edition=12th ed.|publisher=Viking |location=Melbourne |isbn=978 0 670 07073 2}}
*{{cite book |last=Haigh |first=Gideon |authorlink=Gideon Haigh |title=The Big Ship: Warwick Armstrong and the making of modern cricket |year=2001 |publisher=Text |location=Melbourne |isbn=1 877008 84 2}}
*{{cite book |last=Martin-Jenkins|first=Christopher|authorlink=Christopher Martin-Jenkins |title=The Complete Who's Who of Test Cricketers |year=1980 |publisher=Rigby|location=Adelaide|isbn=0 7270 1262 2}}
*{{cite book |last=Meher-Homji|first=Kersi|authorlink=Kersi Meher-Homji |title=The nervous nineties |year=1994|publisher=Kangaroo Press|location=Sydney|isbn=0 86417 650 3}}
*{{cite book |last=Pollard|first=Jack|authorlink=Jack Pollard |title=The pictorial history of Australian cricket (revised edition) |year=1986 |publisher=JM Dent |location=Melbourne |isbn=0 86770 043 2}}
*{{cite book |last=Pollard |first=Jack |authorlink=Jack Pollard |title=Australian Cricket: The game and the players |year=1988 |publisher=Angus & Robertson |location=Sydney |isbn=0 207 15269 1}}
*{{cite book |authorlink=Ray Robinson |last=Robinson |first=Ray |coauthors=[[Gideon Haigh|Haigh, Gideon]] |title=On top down under: Australia's cricket captains (revised edition) |year=1996 |publisher=Wakefield |location=Adelaide |isbn=1 86254 387 9}}
*{{cite book |last=Roebuck|first=Peter|title=Great Innings|authorlink=Peter Roebuck |year=1990 |publisher=Pan|location=Sydney|isbn=0 7329 0359 9}}
*{{cite book |last=Wynne-Thomas|first=Peter|title=The Complete History of Cricket Tours at Home and Abroad|authorlink=Peter Wynne-Thomas |year=1989 |publisher=Hamlyn|location=London|isbn=0 600 55782 0}}
==External links==
*[http://content.cricinfo.com/ci/content/player/5662.html Cricinfo Article on Clem Hill]
{{start box}}
{{succession box |
before=[[Monty Noble]] |
title=[[Australian national cricket captains#Test match captains|Australian Test cricket captains]] |
years=1910/1-1911/2 |
after=[[Syd Gregory]] |
}}
{{end box}}
{{featured article}}
{{Persondata
|NAME=Hill, Clement
|ALTERNATIVE NAMES=Clem
|SHORT DESCRIPTION=Cricketer
|DATE OF BIRTH=[[March 18]], [[1877]]
|PLACE OF BIRTH=[[Hindmarsh, South Australia|Hindmarsh]], [[South Australia]]
|DATE OF DEATH=[[September 5]], [[1945]]
|PLACE OF DEATH=[[Parkville, Victoria]]
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hill, Clem}}
[[Category:1877 births]]
[[Category:1945 deaths]]
[[Category:Australian Cricket Hall of Fame inductees]]
[[Category:Australian Test cricketers]]
[[Category:Australian cricket captains]]
[[Category:South Australia cricketers]]
[[Category:Wisden Cricketers of the Year]]
[[Category:Horse racing in Australia]]
[[Category:South Adelaide Football Club players]]
[[fr:Clem Hill]]
[[mr:क्लेम हिल]]