Michael Hill’s love affair with Cleethorpes extended into another year as Staffordshire ended the opening day of their NCCA Championship clash against Lincolnshire in the driving seat.
Hill conducted matters out in middle with a superb 166 not out as Staffordshire launched an amazing recovery from 51-4 to 386-7 at the end of their 90-over allocation.
Staffordshire then picked up a couple of wickets in the closing stages as Lincs drew stumps on 68-2 in reply.
Hill was the star on a ground he has come to love. He bashed out hundreds in both innings of the draw at Chichester Road in the drawn Division One East encounter back in 2022.
And he made it three on the trot, in front of his parents, to power Staffs into a hugely promising position.
It was a day of firsts for the county as well, with Callum Hawkins and Sam Atkinson both recording their maiden Championship half-centuries for Staffs.
Hawkins constructed a fine 60 while Atkinson shone with a sublime 86.
Both played crucial roles in helping Staffs recover from some early woes as they dragged themselves from their precarious position to pocket maximum batting points.
It was Hill, though, who was the mastermind of Staffordshire’s recovery as he was in imperious form to guide the visitors to a total which would have been beyond their wildest dreams after a poor start.
‘On the back foot’
Staffs captain James Kettleborough had won the toss and elected to bat at the sun-drenched east coast venue.
But his decision looked to have backfired when Staffordshire fell to 51-4 in the opening excxhanges.
Kettleborough has already been fortuitous to survive a confident Lincs lbw appeal when he departed.
He casually flicked a Josh Knapton delivery straight into the hands of Tom Currie at square leg.
And Currie was then into the thick of things with the ball as he left Lincs cock-a-hoop with a quickfire double strike.
He trimmed up Tom Moulton with a pearler of a delivery, which disturbed the timbers, before inducing an edge from Reeve Evitts, which was superbly pouched by Joe Pocklington in the slip cordon.
Matt Morris had been seemingly fighting a lone battle as his partners arrived and exited, as he attempted to stop the rot.
However, he fell, having made 28, when he was dismissed by all-rounder Ben Wright.
Wright managed to nip one back off the seam to Morris and skittled him to send the left-hander back to the pavilion.
Staffs were in dire straits at that juncture, but managed to eek their way to lunch as they took their fodder on 98-4.
‘Recovery time’
That was largely down to the disciplined approach from Hill and Hawkins, who reached the interval on 20 and 23 respectively.
But if Lincolnshire could rightly claim the honours in the first session, it was Staffs who showed their mettle on the resumption.
Lincs may have harboured aspirations of another couple of quick scalps, but they went on the defensive too quickly.
Instead of trying to hammer home their advantage, they allowed Hill and Hawkins to bed themselves in for the afternoon.
And the balance of power started to shift as the Staffordshire duo went about their work without risk or alarm.
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It has been a constant sight for Hill to register a Staffs Championship 50, but Hawkins managed to notch his first.
He had scored 99 in the Knockout Trophy loss to Shropshire this season, but reached his red-ball landmark with a fine innings.
Hawkins managed to reach his first three-day 50 for Staffs off 68 balls in the process.
And such was the ease that the Staffs duo had managed to revive their side’s hopes, it was something of a surprise when they were parted.
They had put on 114 for the fifth wicket when Hawkins saw his excellent innings come to an end.
He looked to slap a rank lop hop from Wright for another boundary, but could only find the safe hands of Qundeel Haider at fine leg.
Liam Hurt departed relatively swiftly to leave Staffordshire on a rather worrying 177-6.
Hill had reached his half-century by this point, but he needed a willing ally to get the visitors somewhere towards a handy total.
‘Fine alliance’
And his mate proved to be Atkinson as they put on a remarkable 190 for the seventh wicket.
Atkinson, with the talent to become a genuine all-rounder, highlighted his batting ability.
He peppered the boundary with some superb strokes – and shortly after tea he was celebrating his 50.
Hill was going about his business in his usual efficient fashion – knowing that he had licence to explode in the dying embers of the innings.
But with all due respect to Hill, there were plenty of eyes on whether Atkinson could reach three figures.
Sadly he couldn’t as, within 14 runs of his ton, he holed out to mid wicket to depart.
Hill was still in the mood for runs, though, and he blasted 13 fours and six sixes in his superlative knock before Staffs reached the end game.
‘Double success’
Lincolnshire had that testing period to bat at the end of the day and lost two quick wickets.
Pocklington was trapped plumb lbw by Rory Haydon, while Drew Sylvester edged a Hurt delivery to keeper Hawkins.
Lincs were 21-2 at that juncture, but Haider and Wright managed to see them to the close without further alarms.
Haider will resume on 28 not out and Wright is unbeaten on 25, but Lincs have plenty of work to do.
After all, when Hill is about, you dance to his tune at Cleethorpes.
Main image: Michael Hill made 166 not out on the opening day of the NCCA Championship game against Lincolnshire. Picture: Pete Stonier
