“Own worst enemy” George Hill determined just to enjoy his batting

Hill had had a disappointing season with the bat prior to that point, averaging 21 in the County Championship. Bowling-wise, he had been a model of consistency, with important wickets and an excellent economy.

His batting output, though, was preying on his mind. Suddenly, he found form in the company of Jonny Bairstow, who spurred him on while striking 160 himself, the pair sharing a partnership of 238 - a Yorkshire sixth-wicket record against Middlesex.

“Jonny’s very helpful, very intense and such a passionate person,” said Hill, for whom it was as if the shackles came off.

He made an effort, he said, to “just go out and enjoy it”, as opposed to “thinking about anything to do with technique”, a template he is determined to follow.

“I’m definitely my own worst enemy at times,” said Hill, whose previous best was 151 not out against Northamptonshire at Wantage Road two years ago.

“I think if I was a bit dumber, for want of a better word, I’d probably be scoring a few more runs.

“When things do go a little bit south, there’s probably a bit too much head noise, and that’s definitely something to work on.

“I’ve spoken to the coaches. I’ve also been to see Speighty (mentor Martin Speight) for a coffee and a net a couple of times, which was really good, just trying to think about when I played school cricket and the enjoyment of it, and not really thinking about anything to do with technique.

“Instead I’ve just been thinking about ‘see the ball, hit the ball’ and trying to actually score runs rather than worrying about technique because, at the end of the day, the game is about scoring runs, not how good your technique is.”

Hill, 23, has had a strange old season. He went into it on the back of a successful winter of club cricket in New Zealand, only to experience the ups and downs that are par for the course for any young player.

“I think it was probably the best pre-season I’ve had as a pro,” he said. “That it hasn’t gone to plan this season just shows how fickle the game is.

“As soon as I got in (against Middlesex), I just tried to be really selfish and make sure that if I was going to get out, their bowlers were going to do it rather than me giving it away.

“On a wicket like that, you have to really dip your bread, as the old blokes say, and just try to make the most of it.”

Hill’s struggles with the bat had seen Ottis Gibson, the Yorkshire head coach, drop him down to No 7/No 8. For Gibson, Hill was too important to leave out completely.

“Every decision as a coach is a difficult decision with ramifications up and down the order and stuff,” said Gibson. “With George, I felt he was too important a player for us to leave out.

"His form hasn’t been great with the bat, but he has been bowling really well. We had an honest conversation around moving him to No 8, and then up to No 7 against Middlesex, and he went and got a hundred, a brilliant hundred.

“The pitch was easy enough, and there was a bit of spin there for the leggie, but he still had to go in and bat well and he batted really well with Jonny.”

Hill said: “I’ve told Gibbo what I think about it (dropping down the order), but obviously my form wasn’t great and other lads have done well.

“It’s not where I want to be batting, but we had some honest chats and hopefully my form has come back a little bit. Ultimately, if Gibbo wants me to bat 7, I’ll happily bat 7, just so long as I’m playing and contributing towards us getting promotion.

“That’s the main thing. I don’t think it helps anybody if I’m sulking about where I’m batting, and moping around, so if I have to bat down the order then I’ll do that and I’ll do it to the best of my ability.”

As Yorkshire prepare for their final three Championship matches, starting with Monday’s fixture in Leicester, Hill is targeting a strong finish to the season.

“My bowling has been alright this year,” he said. “I’ve sort of swapped around. I used to be a batter that bowled, but I’ve been more of a bowler who bats this year.

“If I can sort of get them both going at the same time, that would be quite nice.”