William Alexander Priest (18 March 1909 – 8 December 1972), also known as Alec Priest, was a New Zealand doctor and

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...

er. He played two first-class matches in the Plunket Shield for

Otago Otago (, ; mi, Ōtākou ) is a region of New Zealand located in the southern half of the South Island administered by the Otago Regional Council. It has an area of approximately , making it the country's second largest local government reg ...

in the early 1930s and played in the Hawke Cup for

Taranaki Taranaki is a region in the west of New Zealand's North Island. It is named after its main geographical feature, the stratovolcano of Mount Taranaki, also known as Mount Egmont. The main centre is the city of New Plymouth. The New Plymouth Dist ...

and

Wanganui Whanganui (; ), also spelled Wanganui, is a city in the Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand. The city is located on the west coast of the North Island at the mouth of the Whanganui River, New Zealand's longest navigable waterway. Whangan ...

.Alec Priest
CricketArchive. Retrieved 30 April 2022. Professionally he was a specialist in the treatment of

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...

who worked in a number of New Zealand hospitals and conducted research on a travelling scholarship in the 1950s.

Early life

Priest was born at

Dunedin Dunedin ( ; mi, Ōtepoti) is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from , the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Th ...

in 1909. He was educated at

Musselburgh Musselburgh (; sco, Musselburrae; gd, Baile nam Feusgan) is the largest settlement in East Lothian, Scotland, on the coast of the Firth of Forth, east of Edinburgh city centre. It has a population of . History The name Musselburgh is Ol ...

and at Otago Boys' High School where he played a variety of sports.McCarron T (2010) ''New Zealand Cricketers 1863/64–2010'', p. 108. Cardiff: The Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians.
Available online
Retrieved 8 June 2022.)The Blakely Family
'' The Evening Star'', issue 23486, 29 January 1940, p. 9. Retrieved via Papers Past, 30 April 2022. He captained the Otago schools representative cricket side whilst at school, playing alongside Vern Leader, Don Cameron and Vic Cavenagh, all of whom went on to play for Otago in representative cricket.Personalities in Sport
'' The Evening Star'', issue 21303, 6 January 1933, p. 4. Retrieved via Papers Past, 30 April 2022. After leaving school Priest went up to the University of Otago in Dunedin. He graduated with a medical degree in 1934, initially working at Dunedin Hospital. Whilst he was a student Priest enlisted in the Otago Regiment and was appointed as a second lieutenant with the Otago University Medical Company in 1932; during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

he volunteered for overseas service and served with the

Royal New Zealand Air Force The Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) ( mi, Te Tauaarangi o Aotearoa, "The Warriors of the Sky of New Zealand"; previously ', "War Party of the Blue") is the aerial service branch of the New Zealand Defence Force. It was formed from New Zeala ...

.Officer Appointed
''

Wanganui Chronicle ''The Whanganui Chronicle'' is New Zealand's oldest newspaper. Based in Whanganui, it celebrated 160 years of publishing in September 2016. It is the main daily paper for the Whanganui, Ruapehu and Rangitīkei regions, including the towns of Patea, ...

'', vol. 87, issue 298, 17 December 1943, p. 4. Retrieved via Papers Past, 30 April 2022.

Cricket

With a good reputation as a school cricketer, Priest played club cricket for Carisbrook Cricket Club in Dunedin. He was a batsman who immediately made a "good impression" with the side in 1929.Cricket
''

Otago Daily Times The ''Otago Daily Times'' (ODT) is a newspaper published by Allied Press Ltd in Dunedin, New Zealand. The ''ODT'' is one of the country's four main daily newspapers, serving the southern South Island with a circulation of around 26,000 and a c ...

'', issue 20624, 24 January 1929, p. 4. Retrieved via Papers Past, 30 April 2022. '' The Evening Star'' described him as "a most promising young batsman", saying that "he kept the ball down, punished the loose stuff, and made a good job of any ball that asked to be driven to the off boundary",Cricket
'' The Evening Star'', issue 20083, 25 January 1929, p. 12. Retrieved via Papers Past, 30 April 2022. whilst the ''

'' reported that his "driving and square cutting were always well timed" and predicted that he would become a "very valuable" member of the side. Later in the same year the paper described him as a "stylish batsman", albeit one who had made a run of scores all in the 30s. By the start of the 1931–32 season he had moved from Carisbrook to play for the Dunedin University side, playing in its first season in the senior competition,Manager resigns
''

The Star ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

'', vol. XLIV, issue 303, 22 December 1931, p. 8. Retrieved via Papers Past, 30 April 2022. by which time ''

'', a

Christchurch Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon River / ...

newspaper, was describing him as a "well-known" cricketer with "sound batting knowledge" who had "for so long been a consistent batsman".Christmas Cricket
''

'', vol. XLIV, issue 305, 24 December 1931, p. 6. Retrieved via Papers Past, 30 April 2022. In December, after showing "good form", he was selected for the Otago squad for the Plunket Shield matches against

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. ...

and

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...

. ''The Star'' described him as "a solid and consistent batsman who has shown improved form since he went from Carisbrook to the University eleven. Last season he put together some useful scores for Carisbrook, and this season has scored 161 runs with an average of 40.25. He has a good range of scoring shots, being especially strong on the off-drive", although the paper thought that he may be the Otago twelfth man for the Shield match against Canterbury.

Otago cricketer

In the event, Priest did make his

first-class cricket First-class cricket, along with List A cricket and Twenty20 cricket, is one of the highest-standard forms of cricket. A first-class match is one of three or more days' scheduled duration between two sides of eleven players each and is officiall ...

debut for Otago in the match against Canterbury which started on Christmas Day 1931. He was "clean bowled" for a

duck Duck is the common name for numerous species of waterfowl in the family Anatidae. Ducks are generally smaller and shorter-necked than swans and geese, which are members of the same family. Divided among several subfamilies, they are a form t ...

in his first innings as Otago were bowled out for 161 runs. In its second innings, the Otago side scored 589 in what was described as "one of the greatest batting recoveries ever known in New Zealand cricket", an innings which saw a Plunket Shield record score of 338

not out In cricket, a batter is not out if they come out to bat in an innings and have not been dismissed by the end of an innings. The batter is also ''not out'' while their innings is still in progress. Occurrence At least one batter is not out at t ...

Roger Blunt Roger Charles Blunt (3 November 1900 – 22 June 1966) was a cricketer who played nine Test matches for the New Zealand national cricket team. Personal life Blunt was born in England, but his family moved to New Zealand when he was six months ...

. Priest, however, recorded a pair, being caught without scoring, and was twelfth man for the side's following Shield match against Auckland and not included in the squad for the team's final representative match of the season against

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...

, although the ''Otago Daily Times cricket correspondent reported that he had been "unlucky" against Canterbury. Priest continued to impress in local cricket at the start of the 1932–33 season, ''The Evening Star'' describing him as "a solid batsman possessed of some nice clean strokes" and praising his play to the on-side.Cricket
'' The Evening Star'', issue 21269, 25 November 1932, p. 4. Retrieved via Papers Past, 30 April 2022. He played for an Otago side against one from North Otago in early December, and after batting well at the start of the season he was selected again for the Otago representative side for the Plunket Shield match against Wellington over the Christmas period, replacing the captain George Dickinson. He scored six runs in the match, making two in Otago's first innings and four in their second, although he injured his eye after colliding with Alex Knight whilst fielding and dropped down to twelfth man in the side's following match. He did not play in Otago's other Shield match of the season as the side won the trophy for the second time. He did, however, play for the Otago side which played Southland in April 1933, and in October was in an Otago Selectors XI to play a side of young players.

Taranaki and later career

In October 1934 Priest announced that he would only be able to play for University until the Christmas period, after which he would be moving to

New Plymouth New Plymouth ( mi, Ngāmotu) is the major city of the Taranaki region on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand. It is named after the English city of Plymouth, Devon from where the first English settlers to New Plymouth migrated. ...

on New Zealand's North Island.Topical Tattle
'' The Evening Star'', issue 21846, 9 October 1934, p. 4. Retrieved via Papers Past, 30 April 2022. He subsequently played for

, captaining the side against a touring English side in early 1936. When he returned to the Otago area he played for

Maniototo The Maniototo Plain, usually simply known as The Maniototo, is an elevated inland region in Otago, New Zealand. The region roughly surrounds the upper reaches of the Taieri River and the Manuherikia River. It is bounded by the Kakanui Range to t ...

, captaining the side in 1940 against an Otago XI, and then became a key figure in cricket in Wanganui when he moved there in the 1940s, captaining the side in 1945–46 and 1948–49.Comment and criticism on Wanganui cricket
''

'', 3 November 1949, p. 6. Retrieved via Papers Past, 30 April 2022. He played for Taranaki against Wanganui in the Hawke Cup in 1935–36 and for Wanganui against Taranaki in the competition in 1945–46. Although he was considered to have been "past his best form" when he played for Wanganui, Priest still made good scores in a number of innings, and was elected President of the association in 1950. He was active in promoting and coaching cricket in Wanganui and the

cricket pavilion A cricket pavilion is a pavilion at a cricket ground. It is the main building within which the players usually change in dressing rooms and which is the main location for watching the cricket match for members and others. Pavilions can vary from m ...

Victoria Park Victoria Park may refer to: Places Australia * Victoria Park Nature Reserve, a protected area in Northern Rivers region, New South Wales * Victoria Park, Adelaide, a park and racecourse * Victoria Park, Brisbane, a public park and former golf ...

, Wanganui's home ground, is named after him.Sarjeant Happenings: In memoriam – a gift of art
'' Whanganui Chronicle'', 23 March 2022. Retrieved 30 April 2022.

Professional career

After initially working at the Dunedin Hospital, in 1934 Priest was appointed to work at New Plymouth Hospital, leaving Otago at Christmas. He remained at New Plymouth for two years and later worked for a year at Cashmere Sanatorium near Christchurch, before moving to

Central Otago Central Otago is located in the inland part of the Otago region in the South Island of New Zealand. The motto for the area is "A World of Difference". The area is dominated by mountain ranges and the upper reaches of the Clutha River and tributa ...

to work in a

sanatorium A sanatorium (from Latin '' sānāre'' 'to heal, make healthy'), also sanitarium or sanitorium, are antiquated names for specialised hospitals, for the treatment of specific diseases, related ailments and convalescence. Sanatoriums are often ...

for

patients at

Waipiata Waipiata is an historic place on the Otago Central Rail Trail, in Central Otago, New Zealand. Waipiata is also the name of many New Zealand coastal vessels, steamers, freighters and steamships. History Waipiata became a thriving township as the Ota ...

which had been opened in 1923. After serving during World War II in the

, he was appointed to

hospital as a chest specialist, initially serving as the tuberculosis officer at the hospital. In 1951 Priest became the first New Zealander to be awarded the Wunderly Travelling Scholarship by the

Royal Australasian College of Physicians The Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP) is a not-for-profit professional organisation responsible for training and educating physicians and paediatricians across Australia and New Zealand. The RACP is responsible for training both ...

.Hospital specialist awarded travelling scholarship for N.Z.
''

'', 20 October 1950, p. 4. Retrieved via Papers Past, 30 April 2022. The scholarship was established by

Harry Wyatt Wunderly Sir Harry Wyatt Wunderly (30 May 1892 – 14 April 1971) was an Australian army medical officer, general practitioner, medical administrator, physician and public servant. Wunderly was born in Hawthorn, Melbourne, Victoria and died in Canberra, Au ...

to enable doctors from Australia and New Zealand to study thoracic diseases. Priest was afforded a year's leave of absence to take up the scholarship, travelling to study how tuberculosis was treated in Britain and Scandanvia. Afterwards he returned to work at Wanganui, remaining at the hospital until his death in 1972.

Family

Priest married Ethna Roberts at Whakatāne in April 1939. The couple had four sons, one of whom died in infancy.William Alec Priest
Billion Graves. Retrieved 30 April 2022. Their other three sons all played cricket; one, David, for Wanganui and Wairarapa in the Hawke Cup. Priest died at Wanganui in 1972, aged 63, and is buried at Aramoho Cemetery; an obituary appeared in the '' New Zealand Medical Journal'' in 1973.Obituaries
'' New Zealand Medical Journal''. Retrieved 1 May 2022. His wife lived until 2002.

Notes

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Priest, William 1909 births 1972 deaths New Zealand cricketers Otago cricketers Cricketers from Dunedin Burials at Aramoho Cemetery 20th-century New Zealand medical doctors New Zealand military personnel of World War II Royal New Zealand Air Force personnel University of Otago alumni People educated at Otago Boys' High School New Zealand medical researchers