Leicestershire batter Lewis Hill will retire from professional cricket at the end of the season.

The 35-year-old has scored 8,434 runs in 282 appearances across County Championship, One-Day Cup and T20 competitions for the Foxes since emerging from the club’s academy more than a decade ago.

He has previously captained Leicestershire across multiple formats and was skipper when the club won the One-Day Cup in 2023 – which was Leicestershire’s first List A trophy triumph for 38 years.

Hill stepped aside as the Foxes’ County Championship captain last season but remained a key part of the side, finishing as the club’s top run scorer in the competition as they won promotion to the top flight as Division Two title winners.

The Leicester-born batter has announced his intention to call time on his career just days after scoring a century in Leicestershire’s defeat by Essex.

Hill, who started out as a wicketkeeper-batter, said deciding to retire from the professional game had been “incredibly difficult”.

“I’ve been fortunate enough to live out my dream of playing professional cricket and to do it for the club that means so much to me makes me incredibly proud,” he told Leicestershire’s website., external

Leicestershire director of cricket Claude Henderson described Hill as an “outstanding servant” who will be held up as “a fantastic example” to future generations of players coming through the club’s academy.