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Trumper vs Hill

Who was the better batsman? (And please don't JUST consider Test cricket)


  • Total voters
    23

Days of Grace

International Captain
Overall, Hill was the more consistent batsman.

This is probably due to Trumper being an opener, although I am not sure if the relative difficulty of being an opener against a middle-order batsman was the same back then as it is today.
 

Richard

Cricket Web Staff Member
You know, a little while after making this thread I took a quick look at a few Trumper stats. I know performances aren't the particularly special thing about Trumper (his grace is still obviously special even just looking at stills of him - one can only wonder at how good he was to watch actually in motion at the time, in colour, at a time when there'd probably never been someone so stylish before), but you don't get a rep as a great batsman without some element of it.

Over 14 years, 1898/99-1912/13, Trumper averaged 57.31 in 62 matches. Compare this to the record of Reggie Duff, often Trumper's opening partner, who played for the same team in less games starting the same season and ending earlier. He averaged 42.73 - and Duff was also a very fine batsman. Trumper did not dominate to the extent Bradman did, but his scoring was far superior to his peers. This is very unusual - in the 1930s, there was Headley, but there was also Hammond who almost matched his deeds. In the 2001/02-current-day period, there has been Ponting, Kallis and Dravid - and recently Hussey.

Trumper's performances for Australian teams on tour in England were not so impressive, especially so in Test matches where he averaged less than 28 in 20 games. But at home in Sheffield Shield cricket he dominated in a way few have. His home record in Tests against England was good as well, averaging 37, and on the one occasion he played Tests against a South African team worthy of the tag (in 1910/11) he performed superlatively too.

I've yet to look extensively at Hill's record, but even aside from the remarkable grace of Trumper, he was far from a statistical nobody.
 

archie mac

International Coach
Overall, Hill was the more consistent batsman.

This is probably due to Trumper being an opener, although I am not sure if the relative difficulty of being an opener against a middle-order batsman was the same back then as it is today.
Hill was often coming in at No.3, and Trumper dropped down the order later in his career:)
 

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