Alec Pearce

Thomas Alexander Pearce (18 December 1910 – 11 August 1982), known as Alec Pearce, was an English cricketer who played for Kent County Cricket Club and for Hong Kong in Interport matches. He was later President of both clubs.

Alec Pearce
Personal information
Full nameThomas Alexander Pearce
Born(1910-12-18)18 December 1910
Hong Kong
Died11 August 1982(1982-08-11) (aged 71)
Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England
BattingRight-handed
BowlingRight-arm off break
RelationsThomas Ernest Pearce (father)
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
1930–1946Kent
Career statistics
Competition First-class
Matches 55
Runs scored 1,213
Batting average 16.39
100s/50s 1/3
Top score 106
Balls bowled 36
Wickets 1
Bowling average 22.00
5 wickets in innings 0
10 wickets in match 0
Best bowling 1/22
Catches/stumpings 23/–
Source: CricInfo, 23 January 2011

Early life and family

Pearce was born in Hong Kong in 1910, the son of Thomas Ernest Pearce, a businessman in the then British colony.[1] His grandfather, the Reverend TW Pearce, was a missionary in the colony and Pearce's father worked for J. D. Hutchison & Co, a trading company, from 1903 before purchasing a controlling share in the company in 1917.[2][3] TE Pearce played cricket for the colony in Interport matches against Shanghai and Malaya and was described as one of the strengths of the side between the wars.[4][5][6]

Pearce was educated at Charterhouse School, where he was in the school cricket XI for three years.[7] He was described as "one of the best bats Charterhouse have had for some time"[8] and as a "natural games-player" who played rackets for Charterhouse.[7]

Cricket career and later life

After leaving school, he made his first-class cricket debut for Kent in August 1930 against Lancashire at Dover.[9] Pearce played regularly for the county in 1931 and 1932 and won his county cap in the later season, scoring 581 runs at a batting average of 24.13 during the season, including a score of 83 at Tunbridge Wells against Northants as part of a partnership of 194 runs with Les Ames which was described as "brilliant cricket".[7] He returned to Hong Kong at the end of the season to join his father's business, although he played for Kent in 1937 and 1946 whilst in England on leave.[7]

During World War II Pearce was captured after the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong in 1941. His father was killed during the Battle of Hong Kong while serving as a private soldier[3][4] and Pearce was imprisoned with his brother John at Sham Shui Po for the duration of the war.[10][11] He returned to England in 1946, scoring his only first-class century during the 1946 season.[2][7] He made three first-class appearances for MCC between 1932 and 1946.[9]

Pearce was described in his Wisden obituary as playing mainly "the typical rackets player's off-side strokes", although his "glorious fielding in any position" was considered his "main value" to Kent.[7] He was a "prolific scorer" in club cricket, captained Hong Kong in Interpret matches and was "a leading figure" in Hong Kong cricket,[7][2] serving as Hong Kong Cricket Club President between 1961 and 1967.[4] He retired to England where he was a member of the Kent Committee and President of the club in 1978 as well as being a scratch golfer.[7][12]

Pearce lived at Hawkhurst in retirement and died in hospital at Tunbridge Wells in August 1982 aged 71.[12][13] After his death Pearce's widow, Nina, presented a set of framed photographs of every capped Kent player to the club in his memory. These, which continue to be added to, hang in the Pavilion at the St Lawrence Ground, Kent's Canterbury headquarters.[14] The couple had two daughters.[15]

References
  1. Waters D (1990) Hong Kong Hongs with long histories and British connections, Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society Hong Kong Branch, vol. 30, pp. 219–256. Retrieved 2018-11-07.
  2. Farrell T (2018) King of Hong Kong: John D Hutchison, Let's Look Again, 2018-07-09. Retrieved 2018-11-07.
  3. Butt R (2013) I was an Elephant Handler, Hong Kong's First, 2013-01-24. Retrieved 2018-11-07.
  4. Naming the Pavilion, The Pinkun, April 2012, p. 68. Hong Kong: Hong Kong Cricket Club.
  5. Morgan R (2016) Real International Cricket: A History in One Hundred Scorecards. Brighton: Pitch Publishing. (Available online. Retrieved 2018-11-07.)
  6. Tom Pearce, CricketArchive. Retrieved 2018-11-07.
  7. Pearce, Thomas Alexander, Obituaries in 1982, Wisden Cricketers' Almanack, 1983. Retrieved 2018-11-07.
  8. Podmore A (1929) Public school cricket in 1928, Wisden Cricketers' Almanack, 1929, p. 288. (Available online. Retrieved 2018-11-07.)
  9. Alec Pearce, CricketArchive. Retrieved 2018-11-07.
  10. Lam SF, Chang JW (2006) The quest for gold: fifty years of amateur sports in Hong Kong, 1947–1997, p. 18. Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press. (Available online. Retrieved 2018-11-07.)
  11. John Pearce, racehorse owner and wartime escapee – obituary, The Daily Telegraph, 2017-03-21. Retrieved 2018-11-07.
  12. Kent say they can afford to release Julien, Cricket, The Times, 1977-11-12, p. 17.
  13. Thomas Pearce, CricInfo. Retrieved 2018-11-07.
  14. Moore D (1988) The History of Kent County Cricket Club, p. 221. London: Christopher Helm. ISBN 0-7470-2209-7
  15. Deaths, The Times, 1982-08-14, p. 18.

Alec Pearce at ESPNcricinfo

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