Eric James

Who was Eric James?

Eric Pearse James was an Australian cricketer who played several matches for Western Australia during the early 1950s. Born in Albany, James played his early cricket for Cranbrook, a small town in the Great Southern region of Western Australia. After strong performances for a combined Tambellup–Cranbrook team in the annual Country Week carnival, held in Perth, he was recruited to play grade cricket for East Perth for the 1948–49 season. A right-arm leg-spinner, James switched to Nedlands the following season, but difficulty in travelling between Cranbrook and Perth led him to quit the club. From then on, his only exposure to the state selectors was at the Country Week carnivals, where he helped Tambellup–Cranbrook to three consecutive "A" section premierships from the 1950–51 season onwards. James was finally selected to make his state debut against the touring New Zealanders in March 1954. He played a further two matches for state teams, but was unable to gain regular selection. James remained involved in country cricket for a long time after his last match for Western Australia, dying in Albany in March 1999, aged 76.