Thomas Boxall

Thomas Boxall
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
1789–1796Kent
FC debut10 June 1789 Kent v Surrey
Last FC21 June 1803 England v Surrey
Source: CricInfo, 30 June 2022

Thomas Boxall (dates unknown) was a noted English cricketer who played during the late 18th century. He is considered to have been "one of the finest professional cricketers" of his day.[1]

Boxall was a noted bowler and is believed to be the first player to have bowled leg breaks.[2] Bowling underarm, he took more than 300 wickets[a] in 89 first-class matches,[b] playing between 1789 and 1803.[4] As a professional he played for a wide variety of sides, most frequently appearing for England sides[c] and for Kent county cricket teams, although he played as a given man for both Brighton and Middlesex teams.[4] According to Scores and Biographies, Boxall was around 5 feet 5 inches (1.65 m) tall, strong and muscular and may have been born at Ripley, Surrey.[7] He was employed by Stephen Amherst, who organised matches featuring Kent sides, at his estate in Kent. Amherst constructed an indoor practice area in a converted barn so that Boxall could bowl during the winter.[2]

In 1790, Boxall published one of the earliest cricket instructional books, The Cricket Guide.[8] In 1801, towards the end of his playing career, he published Rules and Instructions for Playing at the Game of Cricket.[9][10] Early editions of the book are considered to be "extremely scarce"[11] and are prized by collectors of early cricket literature. The book, which was printed in London by E Billing and was pocket sized, has been described as "perhaps the most rare and coveted" example of early cricket literature, and "the rarest of all cricket items".[12] A copy of the second edition of the book, thought to have been printed in 1802, sold at auction for £2,600 in 2010.[13]

  1. ^ Rules and Instructions for Playing at the Game of Cricket, book listing, Abe Books. Retrieved 2022-06-29.
  2. ^ a b Rajan A (2011) Twirlymen: The Unlikely History of Cricket's Greatest Spin Bowlers, p. 24. London: Yellow Jersey Press. ISBN 9780224083232
  3. ^ Carlaw D (2020) Kent County Cricketers A to Z. Part One: 1806–1914 (revised edition), p. 31. (Available online at the Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians. Retrieved 2020-12-21.)
  4. ^ a b c Thomas Boxall, CricketArchive. Retrieved 2022-06-29. (subscription required)
  5. ^ Thomas Boxall, CricInfo. Retrieved 2022-06-29.
  6. ^ Birley D (1999) A Social History of English Cricket, p. 364. London: Aurum Press. ISBN 978 1 78131 1769
  7. ^ Haygarth A (1862) Scores & Biographies, vol. 1 (1744–1826). Lillywhite.
  8. ^ Keyworth, Thomas (17 April 1884). "Teaching Cricket 50 Years Ago". Cricket. p. 51. Retrieved 2023-12-25.
  9. ^ Bowen R (1970) Cricket: A History of its Growth and Development, p. 268. Eyre & Spottiswoode.
  10. ^ Carter (2011) Coaching Culture, p. 11. Abingdon: Routledge. ISBN 978-0-415-59408-0
  11. ^ Allen DR (2013) Cricketana, Wisden Cricketers' Almanack, 2013. London: Bloomsbury.
  12. ^ Quoted at Auction listing, live auction 10766, 2014, Christie's. Retrieved 2022-06-29.
  13. ^ Allen DR (2011) Cricketana, in Wisden Cricketers' Almanack, 2011. London: Bloomsbury.


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