Edwin St Hill

Edwin Lloyd St Hill (9 March 1904 – 21 May 1957) was a Trinidadian cricketer who played two Test matches for the West Indies in 1930. His brothers, Wilton and Cyl, also played for Trinidad and Tobago; in addition, the former played Test matches for the West Indies.

St Hill first played local cricket in with some success and graduated to the Trinidad and Tobago team. He played regularly for the next five years but was not selected for any representative West Indian teams. His increased success in 1929 attracted the attention of the West Indies selectors, and he played two Test matches against England in 1930.

Although not particularly successful, he bowled steadily and was chosen to tour Australia with the West Indies in 1930–31. He was fairly effective in first-class games but the form of the other fast bowlers in the team meant that he was not chosen for any of the Test matches.

By the time the tour was over, St Hill had signed a contract to play professional cricket in the Lancashire League in England for Lowerhouse Cricket Club. Playing as an all-rounder, he performed relatively well with bat and ball for three seasons from 1931 to 1933. He then played as a professional in several leagues, including the Huddersfield and Bradford leagues.

During the Second World War, he joined the British Army and took part in the Dunkirk evacuation before returning to England; he resumed his league career and played many wartime charity games. He died in Manchester, aged 53.

Early life and career St Hill was born in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago in 1904, and according to the writer C. L. R. James, his family were lower middle-class. His brothers, Wilton and Cyl, played cricket for Trinidad and Tobago; in addition, the former played Test matches for the West Indies. St Hill first played in the Bonanza Cup, Trinidad and Tobago's main cricket competition, for a club called Durban Cricket Club in 1922; critics judged him to be promising, but he had little success. The following year, he moved to play for Shannon. Cricket in Trinidad and Tobago at the time was divided along racial lines. The team contained many strong bowlers, and St Hill opened the bowling.

St Hill's success with Shannon was noticed by the regional selectors, and in 1924 he progressed to the Trinidad and Tobago team; He played in the next game, the final of the tournament against Barbados, and took a further five wickets in the game, but his team lost.

Over the following five years, he played regularly for Trinidad and Tobago, and bowled with success for Shannon.

Instead, St Hill, between June and August 1928, took part in a tour of the United States by a "West Indian XI", playing mainly against teams of expatriate West Indians.

In 1930 the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) undertook a tour of the West Indies which included four Test matches—the first Tests to be played in the West Indies. The MCC side was not at full international strength; it included players who were either just beginning or just ending their international careers, and several star English bowlers were missing.

The first Test was played in Barbados and St Hill was selected, making his debut for the West Indies on 11 February 1930. He scored 0 and 12 with the bat, took two for 110 from 35 overs in the first innings and was wicketless in the second. The match was drawn. The MCC then travelled to Trinidad and Tobago and played the cricket team in two games. St Hill played in the first, taking four wickets, Having been omitted from the second Test, which West Indies lost, The article stated that St Hill was more effective on matting pitches than on turf, but that he had many supporters in Trinidad and Tobago. It believed he warranted a place on the forthcoming West Indian tour of Australia, but that he needed to work on his fielding, which was weak. At the time, competition rules barred professional cricketers from taking part. Consequently, the first-class matches he played in Australia were the last of his career. St Hill played seven matches on the Australia tour, including four that were first-class, but did not feature in any of the Tests. Against Tasmania he had first-innings figures of four for 57 and against Victoria he took six wickets in the game. but his highest score in eight innings was 9. A later article in the Daily Gleaner of Jamaica suggested that "sources" had told the newspaper "the reason for the infrequent playing of Edwin St Hill", but did not elaborate.

After this tour, St Hill played no further first-class cricket. Early in the season, he spoke publicly to express his thanks for the welcome he had received.

In 1931, Lowerhouse finished in equal fourth place, its best position in the league since 1908. Reviewing the season, the Burnley News gave credit to St Hill for the revival. Describing him as a dependable batsman, it stated that he had a big impact with the ball. He scored 288 runs at 14.40, with a top score of 46, to finish third in the club batting averages. He topped the bowling averages with 68 wickets, 46 of which were bowled, at 12.20. By the following season, St Hill's wife had joined him in Lowerhouse. An end of season summary in the Burnley Express suggested that his batting had improved, and that he had surprised people with his ability. He played several longer innings, with a highest score of 85, and he scored runs by "delightfully played cricket". He headed the batting and bowling averages for the club with 477 runs at 20.73 and 77 wickets at 13.87. However, the report stated that his bowling had been inconsistent and that it was surprising that he ended with such a good average. The club dropped to equal fifth in the league.

St Hill's contract ended in 1933, a less successful season for the club. Lowerhouse finished equal 11th. St Hill topped the batting and bowling averages again. He increased his batting average to 28.66 in scoring 602 runs, including a century, and according to the Burnley Express, gave "some delightful batting exhibitions". By then, St Hill had signed a new contract to play for Slaithwaite cricket club in the Huddersfield League. St Hill stated that he had been treated very kindly at Lowerhouse. At the end of the season, he returned to Trinidad and Tobago for the winter. At this stage of his career, although his progress was still followed by the press in the West Indies, he was no longer a realistic Test match prospect. Other West Indians who played league cricket continued to be selected for the Test team, or to be considered for selection.

Later life and career Slaithwaite were a moderate club in the Huddersfield League, where the quality of cricket was not as strong as in the Lancashire League. St Hill spent just one season at Slaithwaite; his contract was not renewed at the end of the season, but the club awarded him a benefit match, in which Slaithwaite played a team chosen by Learie Constantine. During the season, he was selected for the team to represent the Huddersfield League against the Bradford League.

St Hill subsequently played in the Bradford League, first for East Bierley cricket club, then, in 1937, he signed for Spen Victoria for whom he played until 1939. He was particularly successful for Spen Victoria; for instance, in 1939 he was the first bowler in the league to reach 50 wickets, but at the time the Bradford League had fallen in both popularity and standards. He missed the 1940 season — he had joined the army and took part in the Dunkirk evacuation. But he returned the following season, after being demobilised, and remained in the Bradford League until the end of the Second World War. He also appeared in several wartime charity games; many were for a "West Indies XI" made up of West Indians living or working in England in wartime.

In 1947, St Hill returned to Slaithwaite, where he acted as the team's reserve professional. By 1948, he was playing as a professional at Kearsley cricket club in the Bolton Cricket League. In later years, the cricketer Jack Bond recalled St Hill as a very effective coach at the club, where Bond spent his early years. St Hill continued playing league cricket until 1951.

Death St Hill died in Withington, Manchester, on 21 May 1957, aged 53. Tate was a leading English bowler of the period who took 155 Test match wickets. In the late-1920s, St Hill was judged to be a cricketer of potential.