Clem Hill (1877–1945) was one of sixteen children and born into a notable Adelaide sporting family. His father, HJ Hill, was the first to make a century at the Adelaide Oval; six of his brothers played for South Australia; and one of his sisters played for a local ladies’ cricket side. Clem excelled a various sports, including football, golf and tennis, but his prowess as cricketer quickly came to eclipse his other abilities following his debut for South Australia in 1895, aged 18, when he scored 155 runs in a match against the visiting Englishmen. He debuted for Australia at Lord’s in June 1896 and in the course of his subsequent 48 Test appearances came to be considered one of the greatest batsmen of his era. During the 1897/98 season, he scored in excess of 800 runs against Andrew Stoddart’s England side, including a double century playing for South Australia, and an innings of 188 in the Fourth Test in Melbourne. He and Victor Trumper each scored 135 runs in the first innings of Australia’s ten-wicket victory over England at Lord’s in 1899, Hill finishing that particular Test series with the leading average of 60.20. He captained Australia against South Africa in 1910 and England in 1911, concluding his Test career in 1912 having hit eleven centuries, six scores in the 90s, and a total of 3,412 runs. Hill’s performance at Sheffield Shield level was equally impressive, his record average of 52.25 standing for many years before being bettered by Don Bradman. On retiring from cricket, Hill worked for the South Australian Jockey Club and the Victorian Amateur Turf Club. Journalist Alban Moyes once counted him alongside Bradman and Trumper as one of Australia’s greatest batsmen, and the ‘finest left-hander ever …shortish, thickset, powerful … swift on his feet, and a master of attack and defence’.
