Tom Pearce
Encyclopedia
Thomas Neill Pearce OBE
(November 3, 1905 - April 11, 1994) was an English
cricket
er and Rugby Union
official. He was primarily a batsman for Essex
and was captain
for nearly 20 years. He also acted as secretary, chairman and president of Essex, and was also a Test
selector for England.
debut against Sussex
at Leyton
in 1929. He opened the batting, however number 6 was to become his usual position in the batting order. His selection was based on his high scoring in club cricket, at a time when Essex relied greatly on amateur
s. During his first few years as an Essex player, he worked as a banker, however after two seasons he gave it up and started work in the wine trade.
His first season as captain in 1933; a role he shared until 1938 with Denys Wilcox, saw Essex rise from 13th to 4th in the County Championship
. The Wisden Cricketers Almanack of 1934 reported that "Pearce captained with tactical judgment and enjoyed no little success as a batsman". A change of job ensured that Pearce could remain Essex's full-time captain until 1950, when he retired.
His most prolific season was in 1948, when he scored 1,487 runs at an average of 49.56. He also hit his highest score of his career in the same season, an unbeaten 211 against Leicestershire
.
Immediately after retiring, Pearce became a Test selector for England. He was also manager of the MCC
's tour of India, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) and Pakistan, during the winter of 1961-2. He also selected his own T. N. Pearce's XI
, which played against the touring Test side annually between 1951 and 1976.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(November 3, 1905 - April 11, 1994) was an English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
er and Rugby Union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
official. He was primarily a batsman for Essex
Essex County Cricket Club
Essex County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Essex. Its limited overs team is called the Essex Eagles, their team colours this season are blue.The club plays most of its home games...
and was captain
Captain (cricket)
The captain of a cricket team often referred to as the skipper is the appointed leader, having several additional roles and responsibilities over and above those of a regular player...
for nearly 20 years. He also acted as secretary, chairman and president of Essex, and was also a Test
Test cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
selector for England.
Cricket career
Pearce made his first-classFirst-class cricket
First-class cricket is a class of cricket that consists of matches of three or more days' scheduled duration, that are between two sides of eleven players and are officially adjudged first-class by virtue of the standard of the competing teams...
debut against Sussex
Sussex County Cricket Club
Sussex County Cricket Club is the oldest of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Sussex. The club was founded as a successor to Brighton Cricket Club which was a representative of the county of Sussex as a...
at Leyton
Leyton
Leyton is an area of north-east London and part of the London Borough of Waltham Forest, located north east of Charing Cross. It borders Walthamstow and Leytonstone; Stratford in Newham; and Homerton and Lower Clapton in the London Borough of Hackney....
in 1929. He opened the batting, however number 6 was to become his usual position in the batting order. His selection was based on his high scoring in club cricket, at a time when Essex relied greatly on amateur
Amateur
An amateur is generally considered a person attached to a particular pursuit, study, or science, without pay and often without formal training....
s. During his first few years as an Essex player, he worked as a banker, however after two seasons he gave it up and started work in the wine trade.
His first season as captain in 1933; a role he shared until 1938 with Denys Wilcox, saw Essex rise from 13th to 4th in the County Championship
County Championship
The County Championship is the domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales...
. The Wisden Cricketers Almanack of 1934 reported that "Pearce captained with tactical judgment and enjoyed no little success as a batsman". A change of job ensured that Pearce could remain Essex's full-time captain until 1950, when he retired.
His most prolific season was in 1948, when he scored 1,487 runs at an average of 49.56. He also hit his highest score of his career in the same season, an unbeaten 211 against Leicestershire
Leicestershire County Cricket Club
Leicestershire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Leicestershire. It has also been representative of the county of Rutland....
.
Immediately after retiring, Pearce became a Test selector for England. He was also manager of the MCC
Marylebone Cricket Club
Marylebone Cricket Club is a cricket club in London founded in 1787. Its influence and longevity now witness it as a private members' club dedicated to the development of cricket. It owns, and is based at, Lord's Cricket Ground in St John's Wood, London NW8. MCC was formerly the governing body of...
's tour of India, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) and Pakistan, during the winter of 1961-2. He also selected his own T. N. Pearce's XI
T. N. Pearce's XI
T. N. Pearce's XI was a scratch cricket team composed largely of Test and other prominent first-class players.Between 1951 and 1974, T. N. Pearce's XI played an annual first-class match at the end of the English cricket season against the touring team...
, which played against the touring Test side annually between 1951 and 1976.