Camberwell Magpies batsman Simon Hill reaches 300 games in Premier Cricket

Camberwell Magpies great Simon Hill reflects on his journey in Premier Cricket after becoming the club’s first player to reach 300 games.

Simon Hill reached the 300-game milestone on Saturday. Picture: Richard Serong

When the curtain falls on his career, Simon Hill will stand as one of the greats the Camberwell Cricket Club.

The champion left-hander became the first Magpies player to reach 300 games for the club on Saturday in the Round 10 defeat against Greenvale Kangaroos.

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Hill first arrived at the Camberwell Sports Ground in 1999-2000 when he debuted in the Fourth XI. His parents would make the six-hour return trip from his hometown of Wangaratta, leaving at 6am and not arriving home until 10.30pm.

🏆 MILESTONE | Simon Hill - 300 CMCC GAMES 🏆

Congratulations to Simon who runs out for game number 300 this week against @GreenvaleRoosCC

・・・

📊 SIMON HILL - CMCC STATISTICS 📈

MATCHES: 299
RUNS: 10,473
AVERAGE: 36.11
100s: 16
50s: 57
HS: 208#GoPies | #NeverYield pic.twitter.com/SQSPyhlIs3

— Camberwell Magpies (@MagpiesCMCC) January 11, 2019

“My parents were obviously very supportive of me and my cricket and getting me around to everywhere I needed to go,” Hill said.

“They still come down every now and then to watch me play, but it was not ideal driving from Wangaratta to Melbourne and not making any runs and then jumping in the car and driving home again or getting washed out.

“They were terrific in making sure I got to where I needed to go.”

Since establishing himself in the First XI in 2003-04, runs have flowed from the 34-year-old’s blade.

Only once has he not turned out more than 500 runs in a season, crafting 15 tons and 55 half-centuries at the top level.

He sits eighth on the all-time leading First XI runscorers list and is closing in on Premier Cricket’s 10,000 run club.

Simon Hill in his early days for Camberwell.

Camberwell president Barry Russ said Hill sat alongside Test cricketers Jack Ryder and Keith Stackpole as the club’s greatest players since the Magpies merged with Collingwood in 1996.

“It may well be a long time before it ever happens again at Camberwell Magpies Cricket Club because it is a long time before any of the current players are going to get close to that 300-mark,” Russ said.

“You only need to look at the names he’s surpassed and the ones above him that rank him as one of the all-time greats of Premier/District Cricket.

“He blends in with all players from the top to the last player and beyond in the Fourth XI.

“He is always looking to teach them and bring them along in their journey in cricket so he is invaluable in that sense.”

While Hill has been a dominant figure in Premier Cricket for the past 15 years, he has the unwanted stat of scoring the second-most runs without getting the chance to play first-class cricket.

Simon Hill tucks into a pull shot. Picture: Stuart Milligan

Only Melbourne champion Andrew Kent has scored more runs without getting the chance to play for Victoria.

“I’ve got no gripes about that, the bottom line is I wasn’t good enough and Victoria were putting out some pretty strong teams at that point as well,” Hill said.

“If you look at who Victoria were putting out, I can’t really complain about not taking one of their positions.

“There were some strong teams and I was a top-order left-handed batsman and they were strong in that department.

“Unfortunately the opportunity didn’t come my way but I also probably didn’t put enough runs on the board at certain times to really push my case.

“I probably wasn’t good enough and Victoria were putting out some really strong teams.”

Simon Hill gets on the front foot. Picture: Carmelo Bazzano

He doesn’t intend on calling time on his career anytime soon, intent on finishing with a premiership.

“I obviously can’t play any higher in terms of playing for Victoria or anything like that, that has passed me by, so it is all about trying to play in a premiership,” he said.

“The players who don’t play in premierships are probably missing something from their resume at the end of their careers.

“That’s something I’d really like to do and I’ll be trying to get there.”

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