Alan Hill

Who is Alan Hill?

Alan Hill is a former English cricketer and umpire who played for Derbyshire from 1972 to 1986 and for Orange Free State in South Africa in 1976/77.

Hill was born in Buxworth, Derbyshire and began playing for Derbyshire Juniors in 1965. He progressed to the Second XI by 1970 and in 1972 made his first class debut against Somerset. He was a right-handed middle-order batsman and an occasional off-break bowler. In first-class cricket, he hit 65 fifties and 18 hundreds, giving him a career average of 30.89. His occasional off-break bowling took only a modest 9 wickets.

Hill is one of only two cricketers to make a century without hitting a boundary, a record that he shares with Paul Hibbert, making 103 in the match for Orange Free State v Griqualand West in 1976-77.

After he retired Hill became an umpire at first-class and List A level, but stopped after only two seasons. He began coaching cricket, working in many schools, and until the end of the 2009 season, was head coach for Newcastle-under-Lyme School.

His brother, Bernard Hill, made several appearances for the Derbyshire Second XI, but never made it to major cricket level.