Denis Hill
Randwick Petersham Cricket Club | April 08, 2025
Denis Hill holds a special place in the annals of Randwick Cricket Club as he took a wicket in his first over in his first six games in 1st Grade. A right-arm fast bowler, he ended his debut season in 1967-68 taking a first-over wicket eight times in 13 matches. It was a freakish performance giving support to the claim that the 19-year-old was one of the fastest bowlers in Sydney 1st Grade cricket.
It wasn’t just his 1st Grade efforts which gave him star status that season, as his all-round performance played a major part in the winning of the Poidevin-Gray Shield under 21 years competition. It was the club’s first win in the competition for 34 years and as it turned out, it’s last.
In PGs that summer, Hill scored most runs and took most wickets. And he took the catch which won the final against Manly at Waverley Oval. Although his highest score was only 28, he totalled 194 in 11 trips to the crease, emphasising his consistency. But it was his bowling which was the feature of his play. He was faster than any bowler in the competition as his 23 wickets at 17 testifies and with Ian Forrester who took 20, they formed a lethal partnership which few opponents could overcome. They were also the opening bowlers in the 1st Grade team.
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The son of Randwick lower grade all-rounder Irvine Hill, the 14-year-old Denis joined Randwick in the under 16 years A W Green Shield competition in 1963-64 and immediately impressed. A dashing batsman, he hit 100 against Bankstown and 56 playing St George in his total of 247. He was not a bowler at that time.
The following season he captained the A W Green Shield team, hit 320 runs included a top score of 95 and made the Combined Green Shield team which played Country. He also played five games spread over 3rd and 4th grades scoring 202 runs including a magnificent 114 against St George in 4ths. In 13 innings at all levels aged just 15, he scored 522 runs. He had his first bowl in Green Shield although it was not all that successful, averaging 60.33 for each of his three wickets.
Two seasons later it was a different story. He had learnt the art of fast bowling and enjoyed the thrill of getting up a good head of steam with the new ball, as many an opposing batsman experienced. Denis played in the 3rd Grade team which was beaten in the Grand Final by Bankstown. He took 41 wickets that season, including returns of 7-46 against North Sydney as well as spells of 5-44, 5-47 and 5-49. He took another 11 wickets in 4ths (including 7-42 v Sydney University) to give him 52 for the season to go with his tally of 475 runs. He was a gifted player on the way up.
Hill played his first 1st Grade game in round 1 of the following 1967-68 season. His debut wicket was Balmain star bat Tony Steele who he bowled for two in his first over. The following Saturday he had Sydney opener Ron Moroney caught behind by Barry Wood for four and the following week Waverley’s Bruce Francis edged him behind before he had scored—again in Hill’s opening over. Next match against Sutherland at Caringbah Oval, Ron Neill was out the same way for four. NDs opening bat Graham Southwell went second ball when Ron Crippin snapped up a catch at Coogee while next round, University’s Alan Crompton gave Wood yet another catch in Hill’s opening over at University Oval. Six matches, six first over wickets!
A surprising loss of form followed, but the fast bowler was on target for the final two matches of the season. In the first of those against Sutherland at Caringbah Oval (again), he had Graeme Marston caught by Alan Turner for a duck and in the final match at Coogee, he bowled Petersham-Marrickville’s Bill Anderson for no score. Both wickets were in his first over—a feat achieved eight times in 13 games in his first season in 1st Grade. He finished the season with 16 wickets at 26.1 off 100 overs.
With the reputation as one of the fastest bowlers in Sydney Grade Cricket, Hill won selection in two Metropolitan teams. He was also selected in the NSW Colts Squad. Just prior to the following season however, he suffered a cartilage injury to his knee playing football which sadly, put an end to his promising fast bowling career. He did little bowling the following season and by 1969-70, he had joined Sydney University where he played as a batsman in both 1st and 2nd grades for six seasons.
After a lay-off from cricket, Denis returned to Randwick in 1977-78 as a lower grades batsman and off-spin bowler. Despite the fitness issues with his knee, by 1979-80 he had his game together and finished Randwick’s Player of the
Season; taking 54 wickets and scoring 393 runs across 3rd and 2nd grades. He was the star of the 3rd Grade team which won the premiership.
The next 1980-81 season, Denis was back in 1st Grade although he only played a handful of games. It was much the same in 2nd Grade and it was obvious with his troublesome knee and business pressures; he was struggling to maintain the form he had produced the previous season. And with just 151 runs and 13 wickets, that was his last season.
Denis Hill had an impressive cricket career with Randwick, scoring 2,367 runs while taking 167 wickets. He was most effective in 3rd Grade where he hit 1,299 runs and took 103 wickets. In the age restricted Poidevin-Gray and A W Green Shield competitions he was quite the brilliant cricketer, scoring 1,010 runs and taking 32 wickets. Collectively, his Randwick career reads 3,377 runs and 199 wickets across all competitions. With his Sydney University figures, he finished with a Grade Cricket career total of 4,724 runs and 171 wickets. In 1st Grade, he scored 1,760 runs (277 Randwick; 1,483 Sydney University) while taking 24 wickets with Randwick.
Lyall Gardner
Randwick Petersham Historian
