Tom Pritchard
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Thomas Leslie Pritchard | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born |
10 March 1917 Kaupokonui, Taranaki, New Zealand | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Batting style | Right-handed | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling style | Right-arm fast, right-arm fast-medium | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Role | Bowler | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Domestic team information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1937−1941 | Wellington | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1946−1955 | Warwickshire | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1956 | Kent | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: Cricinfo, 15 June 2013 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Thomas Leslie Pritchard (born 10 March 1917) is a former New Zealand cricketer who played most of his first-class cricket in England. Pritchard was a genuinely fast right-arm bowler and a useful lower order right-handed batsman who played in several matches for Wellington before the Second World War. He said in 2013 that his 1939 memories of a game at the Basin Reserve and of playing for his country were still strong.[1][2]
Coming to Europe and then England with the New Zealand forces during the War, he qualified for Warwickshire and was highly successful for several seasons.[3] His best year was 1948 when he took 172 wickets at an average of 18.75. In 1951, his bowling, by now fast-medium rather than outright fast, played a big part in Warwickshire's unexpected County Championship success. He took three hat tricks for the county during his career, as of 2016 still a record for the club.[3]
His bowling declined across the 1950s, and he left Warwickshire after the 1955 season.[3] He played a few matches for Kent in 1956, but was not a success and retired. His last match was against Warwickshire, and as a batsman he was out first ball as part of a hat-trick by Keith Dollery. He took 818 first-class wickets during his career and remains one of New Zealand's leading first-class wicket takers.[4]
Pritchard retired to New Zealand and has lived in Levin, New Zealand, since 1986. A biography, Tom Pritchard: Greatness Denied by Paul Williams, was published in 2013.[5] His grandson, David Meiring, has played first-class cricket for Central Districts.[6][7]
In March 2017 he became only the third New Zealand first-class cricketer, after John Wheatley and Syd Ward, to reach 100 years of age.[8] As of May 2017 he is New Zealand's oldest living first-class cricketer.[9]
References
- ↑ "1939 (sic) memories still strong". Stuff (Fairfax Media). 3 May 2013.
- ↑ "Former fast bowler holds fond memories of his glory days terrorising batsmen". Stuff (Fairfax Media). 17 August 2017.
- 1 2 3 Bolton P (2006) County Cult Heroes, CricInfo, April 2006. Retrieved 9 March 2017.
- ↑ McConnell L (2003) Cairns joins select group of bowlers in New Zealand history, CricInfo, 11 July 2003. Retrieved 9 March 2017.
- ↑ Cricketer's life revealed, The Dominion Post, 2013. Retrieved 1 June 2013.
- ↑ David Meiring, CricInfo. Retrieved 9 March 2017.
- ↑
- "Bio". Stuff (Fairfax Media). 17 August 2017.
- ↑ Coverdale, Brydon. "It takes a rare cricketer to reach a century, not just make one". Cricinfo. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
- ↑ "Fast-bowling great and oldest living first-class cricketer". Stuff (Fairfax Media). 10 March 2017.
External links
- Tom Pritchard at CricketArchive (subscription required)
- Tom Pritchard at ESPNcricinfo