Born – Kirkheaton 14th November 1843
Died – Leyland, Lancashire 29th August 1910

 

Profile written and provided by PJA Neal - www.mirfieldcc.co.uk

 

Made his debut for Yorkshire in 1871 when he replaced George Freeman in the match at Lords against the MCC which the MCC won by 55 runs.

 

“Allen Hill, a right-handed attacking batsman, and a medium fast bowler with a beautiful action, bowled fast from a surprisingly short run which occasionally took batsmen unawares. He gained a place in the Yorkshire side in 1872 and remained a regular member of the team until 1882 when he retired. In 1884 he made his last appearance at Birmingham when he broke his collar-bone. He was 27 when he made his debut and took around 750 wickets in first-class cricket during a successful career. He had the distinction of taking the first wicket in Test cricket and also taking the first catch in Test cricket. He was a quiet, unassuming man, perhaps prone to injury and although a hard working cricketer and bowler and proud of his profession he lacked the staying power of Tom Emmett and was not as dangerous as Freeman.” - Anthony Woodhouse – A History of Yorkshire CCC.

 

His career statistics during his 140 matches for Yorkshire are:-

 

Batting – 223 innings; 25 not out; 1705 runs, highest score 49 average 8.61
Bowling – 542 wickets for 7,002 runs at an average of 12.96. Best figures 7 for 14. Five wickets or more 39 times.
Catches – 91.

 

He took the hat-trick on two occasions. In 1874 at Bradford against United South X1 and in 1880 at the Oval against Surrey.

After his playing career was curtailed by injury he took up umpiring and stood in the Lords Test of 1890.

 

Melbourne March 1877

 

On the 15th March 1877 Allen Hill became the first man to take a wicket in Test cricket when he bowled N.Thompson for 1. He followed that up by becoming the first man to take a catch in Test cricket when he caught T.P Horan off the bowling of Alfred Shaw of Nottinghamshire.

 

He was one of five Yorkshiremen playing for James Lillywhites’ professional eleven. The others being Thomas Armitage, Andrew Greenwood, Thomas Emmett and George Uylett.

 

In the first innings he bowled 23 overs 10 maidens one for 42 as Australia were bowled out for 245. In England’s first innings he batted nine and was 35 not out as England made 196. In the Australian second innings he took 1 for 18 from 14 overs including 6 maidens. Australia made 104 setting England 154 for victory. Hill was promoted from nine to open the batting but unfortunately was caught by Thompson off the bowling of Kendall for a duck with the score on 0 for 1. England were bowled out for 108 and Australia won the first ‘Test’ match.

 

Hill’s Test match career was short lived but he played in the Second Test which begun on 31st March also at Melbourne.

This game England won by four wickets. In the first Australian innings he took the first four wickets to finish with 4 for 27 from 27 overs (12 maidens). Australia made 122. In reply Hill batted at eight and was run out for 49. England made 261. Australia in reply made 259 Hill taking 1 for 43 from 21 overs (9 maidens). Hill was 17 not out batting at seven as England won. First Series Scorecard

 

His England Test statistics in his two Tests are:

 

Batting – 4 innings; not out 2; runs 101; highest score 49; average of 50.50.
Bowling – 7 wickets for 130 runs at an average of 18.57. Best figures 4 for 27.
Catches – one.

 

He may only have played two Tests but he had his place in history. He also had a batting average of over 50!

 

Allen Hill and Mirfield

 

Hill played for his local village side Kirkheaton before joining Lascelles Hall. His first professional engagement was with Dewsbury in about 1860 and was for three matches (where he was paid half a crown per match).

 

“He later recalled in the Yorkshire Evening Post, ‘Tales with Old Cricketers’ how delighted his father and mother were when he showed them the 15s (a dozen bottles of claret was 20s and a dozen bottles of Champagne 32s). After the three games the Mirfield Old Club approached him, and they engaged him to play for them for 15s per week. That was short lived, however, and he soon went back to being a hand-loom weaver.” – J.R Ellam – Huddersfield’s Nineteenth Century Yorkshire X1 - 2004.

 

In 1864he was engaged by Stoneyhurst College, stopping there for two years. He the left there to become a grounds man at Old Trafford and from there went on to Burnley.

 

Before becoming a professional cricketer he worked as a weaver.

 

An article in the Dewsbury District News on 9th July 1904 entitled “Old Cricketer’s Tales” was about the Mirfield Club. It was based on an interview with two club members namely James Ledgard and Henry Schofield who had been associated with the club since its inception around 1860. In this it states:-

 

“Mirfield can claim to have had two noted Yorkshire County players commencing their careers as professionals with them. Just recently GH Hirst filled that position and in the earlier days Allen Hill also made his first appearance as a professional on the Mirfield ground.”

 

Indeed Hill played as a professional in the club’s second season in 1863 when he was aged 19 (the same age as George Herbert Hirst, when he was Mirfield professional). The 1863 season was only the second in the clubs history. Little is known of the 1863 season but his first appearance may have been against Thornhill Lees Church Institute when he took four wickets in the two innings game. There are several references to his fine bowling. In one game against Cheetham Windsor from Manchester he took two wickets in the first over. The Dewsbury Reporter commented:-

 

“His pace was terrific not only requiring two long-stops, but yet another two, auxiliary ones, at deep slip.”

The young Hill at Mirfield, had cut his first steps on becoming a county player and Test legend

Copyright: PJA Neal 2006