Peter Eckersley

Peter Thorp Eckersley (2 July 1904 – 13 August 1940) was the captain of Lancashire County Cricket Club from 1929 to 1935, who retired for a career as a Conservative Party politician.

Early life Eckersley was born on 2 July 1904 to William Eckersley CBE and Eva Mary Eclersley (née Thorp) at Lowton in the north west of England. For his education he attended Rugby School, where he played for the first XI in cricket.

Cricket career

Lancashire After school he began playing cricket at Leigh Cricket Club before joining Lancashire County Cricket Club in 1923. Eckersley went up to Trinity College, Cambridge, but made his debut for Lancashire against his university on 9 May 1923. Over the course of his first-class cricket career he made 5,629 runs (his record score being 102), scoring 25 fifties, took 141 catches and took seven wickets for 348 runs conceded. His final first-class match took place on 31 August 1938 when he appeared for an England XI against a touring Australian team.

Aviation He and his wife, Audrey E. J. Eckersley, were the Lancashire Aero Club members. He regularly flew himself to cricket matches, becoming known as the 'Flying Cricketer'. becoming the fourth MP to be killed in World War II. A stained glass window to his memory is in Chowbent Unitarian Chapel in Atherton.

He is buried at Tyldesley Cemetery in the care of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.