Thomas Flaws

Thomas Flaws (13 May 1932 – 24 June 2021) was a New Zealand cricketer. A wicket-keeper, he played 27 first-class matches for Otago between the 1952–53 and 1962–63 seasons.

Flaws was born at Dunedin in 1932. He played club cricket for Kaikorai in the city where he was known as an "excellent fieldsman". He played age-group for Otago, practiced with the senior team as early as the 1950–51 season, and in the same season scored a century against Southland cricket team in the Brabin Shield competition for under-21 teams.

By the start of the 1952–53 season Flaws was considered a "promising young wicket-keeper and forceful batsman" and was thought to have "excellent prospects of reading international class". He was, however, behind established 'keeper George Mills in the Otago side and, in the event, made his senior representative debut for the side playing as a specialist batsman against Canterbury in December 1952. During the same season he was part of a record eighth wicket partnership for Otago, scoring 35 runs―his highest first-class score―in a partnership of 149 with Bert Sutcliffe against Northern Districts at Seddon Park. The record partnership was not exceeded by Otago until the 2012–13 season.

In total Flaws played in 27 first-class matches for Otago, scoring 438 runs, taking 44 catches and effecting 29 stumpings. he played Hawke Cup cricket for Central Otago in 1964–65 and 1965–66, but did not play for the Otago side after the end of the 1962–63 season. He died at Dunedin in 2021 aged 89.