He began playing for Derbyshire in 1955, when he turned out for the Second XI in the Minor Counties Championship.
In the 1964 season he played one more game for the Derbyshire against Oxford University.
De Ville was a right-handed batsman who played five innings in three first-class matches with an average of 8.66 and a top score of 17.
[1] De Ville moved to Staffordshire, where he played in the Minor Counties Championship until 1973.
After his cricket career de Ville became an antiques dealer, specialising in 18th and 19th century British pottery.