Jim Hilton born in Werneth

Werneth, Greater Manchester

Werneth is an area of Oldham, in Greater Manchester, England. It is west-southwest of Oldham's commercial centre and one of Oldham's most ancient localities.-History:...

, Oldham

Oldham

Oldham is a large town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies amid the Pennines on elevated ground between the rivers Irk and Medlock, south-southeast of Rochdale, and northeast of the city of Manchester...

, Lancashire

Lancashire

Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...

, was a cricket

Cricket

Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...

er who played for Lancashire

Lancashire County Cricket Club

Lancashire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Lancashire in cricket's County Championship. The club was founded in 1864 as a successor to Manchester Cricket Club and has played at Old Trafford since then...

 and Somerset

Somerset County Cricket Club

Somerset County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Somerset...

.

The younger brother of England and Lancashire bowler Malcolm Hilton

Malcolm Hilton

Malcolm Jameson Hilton was an English left-arm spin bowler, who played for Lancashire and in four Test matches for England....

, Jim Hilton was a lower-order right-handed batsman and a right-arm off-break bowler. Unable to break into regular Lancashire first team cricket because of the competition for slow bowling places from his brother and Roy Tattersall

Roy Tattersall

Roy Tattersall is an English former Lancashire cricketer, who played sixteen Tests for England as a specialist off spin bowler....

, Hilton moved south and played two full seasons for Somerset in 1954 and 1955. Even in a side as poor as Somerset's – the county finished bottom of the County Championship

County Championship

The County Championship is the domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales...

 for four consecutive seasons from 1952 to 1955 – Hilton's bowling opportunities were limited by the presence of Johnny Lawrence

Johnny Lawrence

John Lawrence, known as "Johnny", was a diminutive Yorkshire-born all-round cricketer whose middle or lower order batting and leg-break and googly bowling were of great importance to Somerset in the 10 cricket seasons immediately after the Second World War.-Early career and playing style:Born at...

 and John McMahon

John McMahon (cricketer)

John William Joseph McMahon was an Australian-born first-class cricketer who played for Surrey and Somerset in England from 1947 to 1957.-Surrey cricketer:...

, and he did not take more than 42 wickets in a season.

In 1956, fellow off-spinner Brian Langford

Brian Langford

Brian Anthony Langford , is a former English first-class cricketer who played as an off-spin bowler for Somerset...

 returned from National Service

National service

National service is a common name for mandatory government service programmes . The term became common British usage during and for some years following the Second World War. Many young people spent one or more years in such programmes...

and became first-choice, and though Hilton played fairly regularly again in 1957, he left the county's staff at the end of the season.

He reappeared for Lancashire in Second Eleven matches for several further years, but did not play first-class cricket again.