George Hill has packed a lot into the last seven months, making it a period in his career he will not forget in a hurry. Now he is aiming for the next seven months to be equally magnificent.
During the final two months of last summer, the fledgling all-rounder claimed six-wicket hauls with both the red and white balls, he hit a career best score in the Rothesay County Championship of 169 not out, helped the county secure promotion and was awarded his county cap in front of family and team-mates.
Then, earlier this week, he signed a contract extension at Headingley to keep him at the club until the end of 2028 at least.
If the next seven months go as well for the 24-year-old former England Under 19, it promises to be a very exciting summer for all connected with Yorkshire Cricket.
“The back end of last year was so much fun, regardless of any individual performances,” said Hill.
“The way we were playing our cricket – we weren’t just winning games, we were dominating them from the start to finish. The dressing room environment we created was amazing.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com. George Hill pulls en-route to his career best 169 not out against Middlesex at Headingley last August.
“To sign this contract for a couple more years, I’m absolutely buzzing.
“Hopefully the form for myself and the team continues into this summer.”
Late last week, having signed his own new contract recently, new ball seamer Ben Coad spoke about his confidence in the chances of Yorkshire winning trophies in the near future. And Hill certainly agrees.
He continued: “I’m not just saying this because it sounds good, I genuinely do believe that with the team we’ve got and the environment we created last summer, I don’t see why we can’t win trophies this year.
“We haven’t won a trophy at the club for a couple of years, so it would be awesome if we could end that search.”
Rewinding to last August and September, Hill claimed a pair of six-wicket hauls in the Metro Bank One-Day Cup win over Warwickshire at Rugby School and then against Leicestershire in the second innings of the Championship success at the Uptonsteel County Ground, Grace Road. He also hit his 169 not out in the Championship draw against Middlesex at Headingley and a fine 90 in the first innings of the Championship win over Glamorgan at Cardiff.
Picture by John Heald. George Hill poses with the ball after taking six wickets in the second innings of Yorkshire’s Championship win against Leicestershire in September.
The latter victory was effectively the promotion-sealer.
“It’s the first time in my short career that I batted and bowled well in a similar timeframe,” he reflected. “There’s been patches where I’ve batted really well and not bowled so well and visa versa.
“The timing of doing it was really nice.
“It had been a tough three years for the club, and the old coaching staff came in at a pretty tough time and we got relegated. Then to help us get promoted and to say thanks to the old coaches for what they did, it was a really nice feeling.”
So what was the key to marrying form with ball and bat?
Hill revealed: “It was nothing to do with my technique at all, it was more to do with the mindset.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com. George Hill receives his county cap ahead of play against Northamptonshire at Headingley in September.
“I spoke before the Middlesex game about not having scored a run for a while, so I flipped my approach to stop delving too much into technique and to just try and enjoy my cricket.
“I tried to score runs rather than just surviving.
“I put my success down to the fact that I enjoyed it and believed I could perform at a high level rather than just be a bits and pieces bowler or batter. I believed I could score hundreds and take five-fors. Luckily I managed to do it towards the end.”
Hill and his team-mates have been preparing for the 2025 county summer under the gaze of a new coaching team led by head coach Anthony McGrath. John Sadler has also arrived at Headingley as batting coach, while Australian Mick Lewis is soon to be here as the county’s new bowling coach.
“It’s been really good fun,” said Hill.
“There’s not been too much emphasis on anything in particular, it’s just been about getting to know each other as people.
Picture by YCCC. George Hill has been preparing for the new summer under new head coach Anthony McGrath.
“A big part of a player-coach relationship is trust, and what I’d heard about Mags and Sads from the past was that they’re good people first and foremost and not just good coaches.
“I’ve really enjoyed getting to know them this past couple of months, and I’m looking forward to what’s to come.
“I’ve only spoken to Mick on the phone, and I’m really looking forward to him. He’s played at the highest level, and I’ve heard he’s a funny man. So I’m really looking forward to working with him as well.
“I just want to get going now. Abu Dhabi will be good, and April can’t come quickly enough.”
We spoke to Hill in the midst of the ECB’s Vitality Blast Content Day at Edgbaston earlier this week, where all counties were represented ahead of the latest T20 campaign.
Hill played six times in last summer’s Blast and is keen to build on that when May arrives.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com. George Hill would love a Finals Day appearance at Edgbaston – and silverware – in this summer’s Vitality Blast.
“Last year, I felt a lot more confident in myself with white ball cricket,” he said. “I worked really hard in New Zealand last winter. That was pretty much all T20 cricket (with the Weedons club).
“Through the summer, my performances weren’t exactly match-winning, but I felt the way I played was a lot more positive than it had been in years gone by. That’s definitely a big aim for me, to cement my name in that team.”
And on Yorkshire’s pursuit of a maiden Blast title, he added: “It’s no secret that we’ve under-performed in white ball cricket for a number of years, but I don’t see why we can’t get it right this year.
“The younger lads we’ve got, mixed in with the senior lads who have played a hell of a lot of cricket, we can definitely be back here at Edgbaston for Finals Day in September.”
