John Lill

Who is John Lill?

Dr John Charles Lill is a former Australian first-class cricketer who represented South Australia. He was a member of the South Australian team which won the Sheffield Shield in 1963/64.

A right-handed top order batsman, Lill was good enough to tour New Zealand in 1959/60 with the Australian national cricket team. He played two matches against New Zealand but they weren't given Test status. This was because it was in effect a 'Second XI', with the first choice players given a rest after back to back tours of India and Pakistan. Lill fared poorly in his four innings, scoring 1, 15, 6 and 0.

Back home, Lill had his most prolific season in 1960/61 when he amassed 809 runs in all first-class fixtures, at an average of 42.57. His only first-class wicket was Victorian batsman Jack Potter, whom he dismissed for 156, caught by Barry Jarman in 1962.

Lill was also a talented footballer and played in the South Australian National Football League with Norwood. A centre half forward, Lill was Norwood's top goal-kicker in 1961 and 1962, with 40 and 52 goals respectively. He participated in the famous 1961 'Bloodbath' Grand Final against West Adelaide.