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{{short description|English cricketer and coach}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2022}}
{{Use British English|date=February 2022}}
'''Paul Prichard''' (born 7 January 1965) is an English cricket coach and retired [[cricket]]er.

A former [[Dorset County Cricket Club|Dorset]] coach, he has joined the [[Hampshire County Cricket Club|Hampshire]] coaching staff for the 2022 season. He will also lead the [[Southern Vipers]].<ref>[https://www.dorsetecho.co.uk/sport/19921563.paul-prichard-leaves-dorset-hampshire-coaching-role/ Paul Prichard leaves Dorset for Hampshire coaching role]</ref>

He played for [[Essex County Cricket Club|Essex]] as a right-handed batsman and a right-arm medium-pace bowler for seventeen years. He was club captain from 1995 to 1998 before spending the last three years of his playing career at [[Berkshire County Cricket Club|Berkshire]].

Prichard first played for Essex Schools at the age of nine, and was nurtured at the Hutton club by his father, a prominent Hutton player, and Doug Pont. He graduated from the Essex Schools sides to England Schools, and moved to the more prominent Orsett and Thurrock club.

He played in five Youth Test Matches and 4 Youth One-Day Internationals between 1981 and 1983. His first Test for [[English cricket team|England Young Cricketers]] against [[Indian cricket team|India]] alongside team-mates such as [[Steve O'Shaughnessy (cricketer)|Steve O'Shaughnessy]] and [[Tim Boon]]. As a schoolboy he was a decent wicket-keeper, but it was as a batsman that he excelled, although his fielding also won him much praise.

On the Essex staff from the age of 16, his first team debut came in 1982, when he played in a 40-over League match, however, he neither batted or bowled during this match, batting lower down the order than was required, and not being called in to bowl at any time. He competed in the Benson and Hedges Cup for the next twelve years, and later in his career in the C&G trophy. [[ESPNCricinfo]] suggests that he was predicted for full England honours,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.espncricinfo.com/player/paul-prichard-18622|title=Paul Prichard profile and biography|publisher=[[ESPNCricinfo]]|access-date=2 Jul 2022}}</ref> but an England call never came.

His maiden [[First-class cricket|first-class]] century came in his debut year, 1984, at Old Trafford against Lancashire.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://static.espncricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/1980S/1984/ENG_LOCAL/CC/LANCS_ESSEX_CC_08-10SEP1984.html|title=Lancashire v Essex at Manchester 8-10 September 1984|publisher=[[ESPNCricinfo]]|access-date=2 Jul 2022}}</ref> This was a momentous occasion since Essex's victory in the match, combined with [[Nottinghamshire CCC|Nottinghamshire]]'s very narrow defeat in the simultaneous fixture against [[Somerset CCC|Somerset]], clinched the first of four [[1984 County Championship|County Championship]] triumphs (the others coming in [[1986 County Championship|1986]], [[1991 County Championship|1991]] and [[1992 County Championship|1992]]) for Essex in which Prichard was involved. He also shared a number of [[List A cricket|one-day]] triumphs with Essex, including in the [[1998 Benson & Hedges Cup]] when he was [[man of the match]] and victorious [[captain (cricket)|captain]] in the final.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://static.espncricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/1998/ENG_LOCAL/B+H/FINAL/ESSEX_LEICS_B+H-FINAL_11JUL1998.html|title=Essex v Leicestershire at Lord's, 11-2 July 1998|publisher=[[ESPNCricinfo]]|access-date=2 Jul 2022}}</ref> He was also [[man of the match]] when Essex won the final of the [[1989 Refuge Assurance Cup]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://static.espncricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/1980S/1989/ENG_LOCAL/REF-CUP/ESSEX_NOTTS_REF-CUP_17SEP1989.html|title=Essex v Nottinghamshire at Birmingham, 17 September 1989|publisher=[[ESPNCricinfo]]|access-date=2 Jul 2022}}</ref>

He won his Essex cap in 1986, was the club captain 1995–98, and was awarded a benefit year in 1996.

For some years he played grade cricket in Australia and coached at the Chelmsford Indoor School.

He played in the Minor Counties Championship Western Division extensively between 2002 and 2006, for [[Berkshire County Cricket Club|Berkshire]].

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Sources==
* David Lemmon, ''The Book of Essex Cricketers'' (1994, Breedon Books)

==External links==
* {{Cricketarchive|ref=Archive/Players/4/4278/4278.html}}

{{Hampshire women's cricket team squad}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Prichard, Paul}}
[[Category:English cricketers]]
[[Category:Essex cricketers]]
[[Category:Essex cricket captains]]
[[Category:1965 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Berkshire cricketers]]
[[Category:English cricket coaches]]
[[Category:20th-century English sportsmen]]