/ Players

James Hildreth

England

Full name James Charles Hildreth

Born September 9, 1984, Milton Keynes

Current age 25 years 75 days

Major teams Somerset, Somerset Cricket Board

Nickname Hildy, Hildz

Batting style Right-hand bat

Bowling style Right-arm medium-fast

Height 5 ft 10 in

Education Millfield School, Glastonbury

Batting and fielding averages

	Mat	Inns	NO	Runs	HS	Ave	BF	SR	100	50	4s	6s	Ct
First-class	94	156	13	5670	303*	39.65	8615	65.81	12	30			71
List A	109	105	14	2674	151	29.38			3	9			30
Twenty20	54	51	5	813	71	17.67	635	128.03	0	3	68	27	21

Bowling averages

	Mat	Inns	Balls	Runs	Wkts	BBI	BBM	Ave	Econ	SR
First-class	94		396	316	4	2/39		79.00	4.78	99.0
List A	109		150	185	6	2/26	2/26	30.83	7.40	25.0
Twenty20	54	12	169	247	10	3/24	3/24	24.70	8.76	16.9

Career statistics

First-class debut	2003
Last First-class	Somerset v Worcestershire at Taunton, Sep 16-19, 2009 scorecard
List A debut	2003
Last List A	Somerset v Durham at Taunton, Sep 27, 2009 scorecard
Twenty20 debut	Warwickshire v Somerset at Birmingham, Jul 2, 2004 scorecard
Last Twenty20	New South Wales v Somerset at Hyderabad (Decc), Oct 18, 2009 scorecard

Profile

For any batsman, Taunton is the ideal place to launch a career. There was much expected of James Hildreth from age-group level, but his debut knock of 101 off 113 against a Durham attack including Shoaib Akhtar. However, Hildreth didn't really kick-on from that dream start and threatened to become one of the county game's frustrating talents.

He hails from that solid breeding ground of first-class cricketers, Millfield School, where he as part of the first XI for four years. His progression continued through England youth sides at all levels including the Under-19 World Cup in Bangladesh in 2003-04. He ended his age-group career with 210 in the final Test against Bangladesh in 2004 and had a cameo role of 38 off 24 balls when Somerset famously chased down 343 to beat the touring Australians in 2005.

Justin Langer, who became his captain at Taunton, rated him as "an extraordinary talent" and Australians don't throw around such comments without good reason. Still, though, potential wasn't translated into consistent results and his average lingered in the 30s rather than the 40s. His opening innings of the 2009 season, again on a batting paradise at Taunton, suggested the best was still to come as he took Warwickshire for an unbeaten 303 - the earliest triple century in an English season.

Hildreth is a talented allround sportsman and played hockey for the West of England, tennis and squash for the South of England, rugby for Millfield and soccer for Luton Town as a teenager.
Andrew McGlashan April 2009

Notes

NBC Denis Compton Award 2003
NBC Denis Compton Award 2004
NBC Denis Compton Award 2005