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Thomas Leslie Pritchard (10 March 1917 – 22 August 2017) was a New Zealand cricketer who played most of his first-class cricket in England.[1] 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.[2][3]

Tom Pritchard

Personal information
Full name	Thomas Leslie Pritchard
Born	(1917-03-10)10 March 1917 Kaupokonui, Taranaki, New Zealand
Died	22 August 2017(2017-08-22) (aged 100) Levin, New Zealand
Batting	Right-handed
Bowling	Right-arm fast, right-arm fast-medium
Role	Bowler
Domestic team information
Years	Team
1937/38–1940/41	Wellington
1946–1955	Warwickshire
1956	Kent
Career statistics
Competition First-class Matches 200 Runs scored 3,363 Batting average 13.34 100s/50s 0/6 Top score 81 Balls bowled 42,871 Wickets 818 Bowling average 23.30 5 wickets in innings 48 10 wickets in match 11 Best bowling 8/20 Catches/stumpings 84/−
Source: Cricinfo, 21 December 2020

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.[4] 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.[4]

His bowling declined across the 1950s, and he left Warwickshire after the 1955 season.[4] 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.[5]

Pritchard retired to New Zealand and lived in Levin, from 1986 until his death. A biography, Tom Pritchard: Greatness Denied by Paul Williams, was published in 2013.[6] His grandson, David Meiring, has played first-class cricket for Central Districts.[7][8]

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.[9] Pritchard died in Levin on 22 August 2017.[10] At the time of his death, Pritchard was New Zealand's oldest living first-class cricketer; that honour then passed to Alan Burgess.[11]

References

External links

• Tom Pritchard at ESPNcricinfo

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