Alan Gill, born in Underwood on 5 August 1940, was a 19-year old all-rounder when he was one of three local cricketers given the chance to establish themselves in the Nottinghamshire first team (the others were Robin Bilbie and Mick Haynes). Gill had illustrious footsteps to follow – Charlie Harris, for so long Notts’ opening bat in partnership with Walter Keeton, came from the same home club, Underwood Miners Welfare.
Alan Gill did not quite match his predecessor – indeed, all three of those young players were to play First-Class cricket for several seasons without ever being able to establish a firm place in the county side – and left Trent Bridge at the end of the 1965 season, having played 53 First-Class games. A right-hand bat and occasional leg break bowler, he scored 1,756 runs at 19.29 with 67 his best innings, one of eight half-centuries. That innings, against Cambridge University in 1962 ended when he was stumped off the bowling of Anthony Windows by one Mike Brearley, then skipper and keeper for the University side.
Gill also took 10 First-Class wickets at 48.20 and played in one List-A game, the 1963 Gillette Cup fixture v Yorkshire in which he scored just 4.
He returned to his home-town club and played for Underwood for many years. Later he lived in Ravenshead and is now living in North Nottinghamshire. Away from cricket, he ran a small local engineering company.
March 2023
Nottinghamshire First-Class Number: 426