John Charles Hill (25 June 1923 – 11 August 1974) was an Australian cricketer who played in three Test matches from 1953 to 1955.

Education The son of a Stipendiary Magistrate, Mr. Alec Hill, S.M.,A photograph of Jack with his father congratulating him on his Australian Test team selection is at Mr. A. Hill, S.M., congratulating his son Jack , The Age, (13 February 1953), p. 3. Hill received his secondary education at St Patrick's College, Ballarat.

War service He moved to Melbourne in 1941 and took up a position under the Naval Board;Ballarat News: Gift to Cricketer, The Argus, (15 April 1941), p. 2. and he went on to see active service in the Royal Australian Air Force from 1942 to 1946. World War II Nominal Roll: John Charles Hill (58585) . ww2roll.gov.au

Football A star half-forward with St Patrick's College, he trained with Richmond Football Club in the 1943 pre-season,Taylor, P. (2 April 1943) "Football Keen: Good Young Players", The Argus, p. 9.Taylor, P. (12 April 1943) "New Players Excel", The Argus, p. 9. and was placed on their supplementary list at the start of the 1943 season.New Players Chosen: Richmond, The Argus, (3 May 1943), p. 9.

He played intermittently for Richmond's Second Eighteen;League Seconds Teams, The Argus, (7 August 1943), p. 9.Fanning, 67 Goals, The Argus, (3 September 1945), p. 11.Richmond Holds Juniors, The Age, (1 May 1946), p. 5. and, in 1946, he was released by Richmond to the Belgrave Football Club in the Mountain District Football Association.Gossip from the Training Track, The Argus, (1 May 1946), p. 10.

In 1949, in a semi-finals match on 17 September 1949, in which he kicked nine goals for Belgrave,Football in the Country: Mountain Districts, The Age, (19 September 1949), p. 6. he was knocked out during the match. He thought nothing of the injury and, thinking it was just concussion, he sought no additional medical treatment. On 4 October, he collapsed at work, and was hospitalised. At the hospital, it was discovered that he had fractured his skull (the second time that he had fractured his skull in his football career).Taylor, P. (5 October 1949) "St Kilda Captain May Have Fractured Skull", The Argus, p. 26.Cricket Roundup: St Kilda Captain Has Fractured Skull, The Argus, (10 October 1949), p. 16.Cricketer has Fractured Skull, The Age, (10 October 1949), p. 12. He immediately retired from football, having set the goal-kicking record of 152 goals in a single season.Test bowler also holds goals record, The Argus, (7 October 1953), p. 10.

He was not fit enough to resume cricket until 29 October 1949;Taylor, P. (27 October 1949) "X-Ray had Mixed Results for Cricketer", The Argus, p. 18 and the consequences of this severe head injury were such that he suffered from severe headaches from time to time for the rest of his life; and, very often, he had to take special headache powders in order for him to be able to play cricket.Goodman, T. (17 November 1949) "Talking of Sport", The Sydney Morning Herald, p. 15.

Cricket He was already an outstanding schoolboy cricketer whilst at St Patrick's College, where he took 118 wickets in four years, at a time when the college's team only played four matches a year.Taylor, P. (24 December 1949) "Introducing Jack Hill, of St Kilda", The Argus Weekend Magazine, p. 2. At 15 years of age he was selected to play in the Ballarat Cricket Association's (senior) team that competed in the Provincial Group of the March 1939 Country Week Carnival in Melbourne. He played at least one of these matches at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.Group Finals: Provincial Group, The Argus, (10 March 1939), p. 20.

He played District Cricket for the Melbourne Cricket Club from the beginning of the 1941/1942 season.Taylor, P. (1 October 1941) "New Men in Pennant Cricket: Teams for First Games: Melbourne", The Argus, p. 10.Taylor, P. (1 October 1942) "Cricket Teams Chosen", The Argus, p. 6. In his first match for Melbourne, playing against the Essendon Cricket Club, he put on an exceptional performance after the break for tea:

During the time he was in the R.A.A.F. he was stationed near Sydney and, whilst there, he played intermittently with the Mosman Cricket Club.Hill Shines in Sydney, The Argus, (9 February 1943), p. 9.Cricket: North Sydney v. Mosman, The Sydney Morning Herald, (8 February 1943), p. 7.Cricket: The Teams: Mosman, The Sydney Morning Herald, (9 February 1943), p. 7. In 1945 he transferred to the St Kilda Cricket Club.Fitzroy C C Will be Strong, The Argus, (21 September 1945), p. 12.

Reporting on his October 1945 debut for St Kilda, following his 1945 transfer from Melbourne, The Argus commented:

State Cricket He played in 69 Sheffield Shield cricket matches for Victoria, from 1946Hill, Ring, and Harvey in Vic. Team, The Argus, (26 February 1946), p. 8. to 1956, scoring 867 runs, and taking 218 wickets. He took a wicket, bowling the South Australian batsman Tom Klose with the first ball he ever bowled for Victoria.Taylor, P. (11 March 1946) "Record Cricket Score by Victoria", The Argus, p. 15.Hill's Wicket Off First Ball, The Argus, (11 March 1946), p. 12.Record Score at Adelaide, The Age, (11 March 1946), p. 7.Phillips, S. (9 February 1979) "Happy With One Wicket", The Age, p. 24.

He was also famous for not scoring what might have been the easiest runs ever scored in a Sheffield Shield Cricket in the first innings of Victoria's match against New South Wales, at the St Kilda Cricket Ground on Saturday, 24 December 1955:

Test Cricket

Selection To the relief of the many who had come to refer to the continuously overlooked Hill as "Australia's forgotten cricketer",A Photograph of Jack in his St Kilda Cricket Club blazer, with his wife Marie, and his father Alec, is at Selection Was Surprise, The Sydney Morning Herald, (14 February 1953), p. 10. the Australian selectors announced in February 1953, that they had selected him for the team to tour England for the 1953 "Coronation" Ashes series."Forgotten Cricketer" is Chosen in Test Side, The Age, (13 February 1953), p. 3.Goodman, T. (13 February 1953) "17 Players Named", The Sydney Morning Herald, p. 1.Careers of Players, The Sydney Morning Herald, (13 February 1953), p. 10.Defence of Ashes Rests in Their Hands (Team Photograph), The Mercury, (10 March 1953), p. 1.

Although cricket writer Tom Goodman thought that Hill's selection was "a surprise" and "a gamble",Goodman, T. (13 February 1953) "N.S.W. Given Fair Treatment", The Sydney Morning Herald, p. 10. former Australian champion spin-bowler Bill "Tiger" O'Reilly, commended the Australian selectors for "[their] effort to tighten up the distressing state of our spin attack" and expressed his view that "if Hill can adapt himself to the English conditions he will be a certain choice for the Test attack on tour".O'Reilly, W.J. (13 February 1953) "Selectors Did Excellent Job", The Sydney Morning Herald, p. 10.

At the time of his 1953 Test selection, a newspaper described his action as follows:

In its October 1974 obituary, The Cricketer described his action as follows:which can be seen at and also at

Tasmania On the way to England, Hill played with an Australian XI against a Tasmanian team, in Hobart, in March 1953.Test Men to Play State — Tasmania to Face Powerful Eleven, The Mercury, (7 March 1953), p. 40. On the first day, the Australian XI were 9/505 at stumps.'Third Man', "Tasmanian Bowling Flayed by Australian XI", The Mercury, (9 March 1953), p. 16. By the end of the second day the Tasmanian team were 2/21 in their second innings, having been forced to follow on after being all out for 202. Hill bowled eleven overs, had three maidens and took none for 24.'Third Man', "Tasmanian XI Seems Certain of Innings Defeat", The Mercury, (10 March 1953), p. 20. The Tasmanian team went on to score 234 in its second innings; Hill taking 2 for 28 off 11 overs (with three maidens).'Third Man', "State Team Beaten But Not Disgraced", The Mercury, (11 March 1953), p. 24.

The team squad then travelled to Launceston, and played a match against a combined Northern Tasmanian side. The Australian XI, made up of Lindsay Hassett (captain), Arthur Morris (vice captain), Ron Archer, Richie Benaud, Alan Davidson, Jim de Courcy, Jack Hill, Graeme Hole, Bill Johnston, Gil Langley, (cricketer), and Colin McDonald. Hill had been selected as twelfth man; however, he replaced Ray Lindwall in the team, who was indisposed from having a tooth extracted the day before. The remainder of the squad were used to strengthen the opposition, and Ian Craig, Keith Miller, Neil Harvey, Doug Ring and Don Tallon all played for the combined Northern Tasmanian side.Five Test Men in Combined Side in North, The Mercury, (10 March 1953), p. 20. At the end of the first day's play, the Combined side were all out for 262 (hill's figures were 0/27), and the Australian XI were 93 without loss.'Mid On', "Ian Craig Enhances Batting Repute", The Mercury, (13 March 1953), p. 20. At the end of the second day, the Australian XI had scored 469 (Hill scored 20) and the combined team were 2/19 in its second innings (Hill did not bowl on the second day).'Mid On', "State Bowlers mainstay of Attack", The Mercury, (14 March 1953), p. 32. On the last day, the combined team scored a total of 245 in its second innings (with Hill taking 3/58) and the Australian XI, scoring 41 without loss, won the match.'Mid On', "Hird, Cowley Save Innings Defeat of Combined XI", The Mercury, (16 March 1953), p. 20.

England In 1953, the entire tour of England involved 34 matches in all: five Test cricket matches, and an additional 29 matches that were played before, during, and after the Test series. Of the Five Tests, he played two for Australia against England during the 1953 Ashes Series.Nostalgia Corner, The (Sydney) Sun-Herald, (5 May 1985), p. 87. Jack Hill is on the extreme right of the back row in the team photograph.

His first Test match appearance was in the rain affected First Test from 11 to 16 June 1953 at Trent Bridge (both he and Alan Davidson made their Australian Test debut in the same match). In a drawn match, he scored a duck and four runs; and took 3/35 and 1/26.

His second Test match appearance was the Third Test, from 9–14 July 1953 at Old Trafford. In a drawn match, he scored 8 runs (n.o.) and a duck, and took 3/97 in England's only innings.

He was twelfth man for the Fourth Test at HeadingleyMailey, A. (24 July 1953) "Hassett Gambles Against History in Toss Decision", The Argus, p. 15.Goodman, T. (9 July 1953) "Hill Replaces Ring in Australian Test Team", The Sydney Morning Herald, p. 1.). The first four matches of the series were drawn; and the last match of the series (for which Hill was not selected) was won by the M.C.C. by eight wickets. Of the 29 additional matches that the squad contested during the tour, he played in 20 of them.

West Indies In 1955, the entire tour of the West Indies involved 12 matches in all: five Test cricket matches, and an additional 7 matches that were played before and during the Test series; one of the additional matches, a two-day match between an Australian XI and, G.A. Headley's XI, a team selected by the eminent West Indian cricketer G. A. Headley, that was scheduled to take place on 6 and 7 June 1955, at Jarrett Park, in Montego Bay,Australian Team Back in Jamaica, The Age, (7 June 1955), p. 12. was abandoned when play could not commence on either day due to heavy rain.Cricket Washed Out by Rain, The Age, (8 June 1955), p. 15.Montego Bay Cricket Off, The Age, (9 June 1955), p. 10.

He played a single Test match for Australia against the West Indies:the drawn Fourth Test match, at Kensington Oval, Bridgetown from 14 to 20 May 1955, in which he scored 8 runs (n.o.) and 1 run, and took 0/71 and 1/44. Of the 6 additional matches that the squad contested, he played in 5 of them.

End of Test career