Wilton St Hill

Wilton St Hill
A headshot of a cricketer wearing a cap
Personal information
Full name
Wilton H. St Hill
Born(1893-07-06)6 July 1893
Port of Spain, Trinidad
Diedc. 1957
Trinidad
BattingRight-handed
BowlingRight-arm medium
Relations
International information
National side
Test debut (cap 10)23 June 1928 v England
Last Test1 February 1930 v England
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
1912–1930Trinidad
Career statistics
Competition Test First-class
Matches 3 43
Runs scored 117 1,928
Batting average 19.50 27.15
100s/50s 0/0 5/7
Top score 38 144
Balls bowled 12 357
Wickets 0 5
Bowling average 41.79
5 wickets in innings 0
10 wickets in match 0
Best bowling 0/– 2/14
Catches/stumpings 1/0 14/–
Source: CricInfo, 2 December 2010

Wilton H. St Hill (6 July 1893 – c. 1957) was a West Indian international cricketer who played in West Indies' first Test match during their inaugural Test tour of England. A right-handed batman who played in a variety of batting positions, he represented Trinidad in first-class cricket between 1912 and 1930 and played in three Test matches in total. Although his Test record was poor, he was highly regarded in Trinidad. In particular, writer C. L. R. James considered St Hill to be among the top batsmen in the world and dedicated a chapter of Beyond a Boundary to him. At the peak of his career, Lord Harris described him as the best batsman in the West Indies.

Establishing an early reputation playing for the Shannon Club in Trinidad, St Hill was selected for Trinidad in 1912 and played in every Inter-Colonial Tournament until 1930. Although he missed selection for the 1923 tour of England, he played for representative West Indian sides in 1926 against the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) and scored a century against the tourists for Trinidad. Success in trial matches led to his selection for the 1928 tour of England where he failed badly. In 1930, he hit another century for Trinidad against MCC and was chosen for one final Test, after which he did not play any further first-class cricket.

One of the first successful black batsmen in the West Indies, St Hill was an enigmatic character who refused to compromise his playing style. Towards the end of his career, his aggression while batting, even when out of form, resulted in his dismissal without scoring many runs.


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