Tom Pritchard

For the wrestler, see Tom Prichard.

Tom Pritchard

Personal information
Full name	Thomas Leslie Pritchard
Born	(1917-03-10) 10 March 1917 Kaupokonui, Taranaki, New Zealand
Batting	Right-handed
Bowling	Right-arm fast, right-arm fast-medium
Role	Bowler
Domestic team information
Years	Team
1937–1941	Wellington
1946–1955	Warwickshire
1956	Kent
Career statistics
Competition First-class Matches 200 Runs scored 3363 Batting average 13.34 100s/50s 0/6 Top score 81 Balls bowled 42871 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, 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. 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. 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.

His bowling declined across the 1950s, and he left Warwickshire after the 1955 season. He played a few matches for Kent in 1956, but was not a success, and then 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 has lived in Levin, New Zealand, since 1986. A biography, Tom Pritchard: Greatness Denied by Paul Williams, was published in 2013.

References

• Wisden Cricketers' Almanack, various editions
• CricketArchive