Dene Hills
Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Full name | Dene Fleetwood Hills | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Born | Opening Batsman | 27 August 1970|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Domestic team information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Years | Team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1991/92–2001/02 | Scotland | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Career statistics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Source: Cricinfo, 9 December 2008 |
Dene Fleetwood Hills (born 27 August 1970) is an Australian former
Early life
Dene Hills grew up in Wynyard, Tasmania, where he soon showed the talent that would lead him on to represent his state in first-class cricket.
First-class career
By the time he had finished school, Hills had already given indication of the talent he possessed. A gifted batsman with a strong defence, he showed a natural preference for off-side play, and could cut and drive elegantly.
After attending the Australian Cricket Academy in 1989, Dene Hills made his debut for
He quickly established himself at the top of the order at a time when Tasmania was re-organising itself into a competitive side. He soon formed a strong friendship with fellow opener Jamie Cox, and the pair blossomed into one of Tasmania's best opening partnerships of all time. The pair formed one of the most consistent domestic partnerships of the 1990s, and Hills defensive strength was the perfect foil for Cox's more attacking flair.
He brought up the first of his 21 first-class centuries with a mature-looking 106 against a vastly experienced
Hills had quickly settled into his role as the mainstay at the top order, and as he matured as a player, he learned to build ever larger innings. In the 1995–96 season he scored his first double-century against a
Hills came closest to receiving international honours following that brilliant season when he was selected for an Australia A tour of Scotland and Ireland. He made a dashing 118 in the opening match against Scotland, which was his highest-ever limited-overs score, but regrettably the match was not afforded official List-A status, and so Hills ended his career without an official limited-overs century to his name.
In the 1999–2000, and 2000–01 seasons, Hills' form slumped dramatically, with his season average ending below 25.00 for the first time in both campaigns. in the 2000–01 season, he was dropped after just four matches, and after an illustrious decade leading the Tigers from the front, Dene Hills bowed out of First-class cricket with scores of 5 and 3 in his final two innings. Hills finished his first-class career with 7,894 runs at an average of 40.07 with a highest score of 265.
As his playing career wound up, Hills also found time to represent Australia in 2001 in the
Later life
Following his career as a player, Hills moved into cricket coaching and spent time as an assistant coach with both the Tigers, and then the Australian national team. He also spent time working for the Cricket Centre of Excellence. In August 2008, he was named as a batting coach for the England and Wales Cricket Board. But in December 2010, during the 2010–11 Ashes series, he rejoined Australia as a performance analyst.[2]
References
- ^ "The best XI never to wear a baggy green". The Age. Melbourne. 5 December 2004. Retrieved 28 January 2010.
- ^ "Ex-England coach joins Australians". The Sydney Morning Herald. 2 December 2010. Retrieved 21 February 2020.