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]

Stationed in Egypt and then Italy with New Zealand forces during the war, he ended the war in England, playing cricket.^[4] He qualified for Warwickshire in 1947 and was highly successful for several seasons.^[5] 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.^[5]

His bowling declined across the 1950s, and he left Warwickshire after the 1955 season.^[5] 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.^[6]

Pritchard met his wife Mavis at a dance in London when he was playing for Warwickshire. They were married for 64 years before she died in 2009.^[4] He worked in sales in England after his cricket career ended.^[4]

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.^[7] His grandson, David Meiring, has played first-class cricket for Central Districts.^[8][9]

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.^[10] Pritchard died in Levin on 22 August 2017.^[11] At the time of his death, Pritchard was New Zealand's oldest living first-class cricketer; that honour then passed to Alan Burgess.^[12]