2020 Chris Hill Testimonial Brochure

MY STORY....
By Hilly
Historically a part of Lancashire, but is now within
the Metropolitan Borough of St. Helens, Billinge
Hospital is where my story starts on
November 3rd 1987.
Born to Dave & Carol and residing in Whelley,
Wigan, my brother Marc got to meet his new
brother, two years his junior, soon after.
The club had some players who went on to
professional careers, Joel Tomkins and Chris
Ashton played alongside me at St Pats, and the
town team where I continued to play the
year above from aged 11.
I loved the game, and still do, but back then
I’d play for the town on a Saturday (playing
up a year), then town my own age or St. Pats on a
Sunday – a lot of running around for my parents,
but I was having the best time.
I Primary Schooled at St Caitlin’s then on to
the best high school in Wigan town, Deanery
Church of England. They had a rugby team and I
joined in pretty early and was made captain. We
were unbeaten through years 7, 8 , 9 and 10.
One Tuesday evening my mum saw an advert for new
players for a team at Wigan St. Pats, and she
decided to take me down to Robyn Park for
training. I was 7 or 8 at the time.
I was understandably a little uneasy at
the start and ended the session frustrated as
every one of them were bigger than me!
Then it all made sense! A couple of the lads
training were chatting and came to point
something out to my mum, I’d been training with the
wrong age group, one year above where I should
be – no wonder I was apprehensive!
The coach at the time was Steve Frost (and his
son who played, also Steve Frost) were family
friends, so I returned the following week; I stayed
there, playing up a year until the under fifteens.
I also played for school and so could play up to
four times in a week. I knew this was my sport.
I’d captained my primary school football team but
with two left feet I knew
picking up a
ball and getting
smashed was the
future!
Wigan had a
scholarship and
development
program running
and I was looking
to move forward, so
was excited when my
dad said that Dean
Bell wanted to have
a word with us about
my future.
We sat down and this is
where the story of my
professional career would start.
Dean Bell said he didn’t think I was good enough
and should go back to play amateur and
work on my game.
I was 15 – and sought out a new route to get
my dream to play rugby league for a living.
There was a new club being set up and a few of
my mates and I went to see what it was like .
Steve Frost was no longer the coach at St. Pats
so I was happy to find a new club. Paul Renoux,
Mark ‘Moz’ Leigh and Andrew Melling (dad was
the coach), among others, headed over to Aspull
New Springs where I played in my own age group.