Thomas Boxall
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Thomas Boxall (dates unknown) was a famous English cricketer of the late 18th century. He was a very successful right arm bowler, believed to have been fast underarm.[note 1]
Career
[edit]According to Scores and Biographies, Boxall was about 5 ft 5in tall, strong and muscular. He may have been born at Ripley, Surrey but this is uncertain, especially as he played mainly for Kent. He was employed for a long time by the Kent patron Stephen Amherst. Amherst constructed an indoor practice area in a barn so that Boxall could bowl to him during the winter.[2] The Walker brothers of Hambledon also did this at their farm.
Thomas Boxall made his known debut in the 1789 season,[2] and made 89 known appearances in historically important matches from then until 1803.[3]
Near the end of his career, in 1801, Boxall published the earliest known instructional book on cricket called Rules and Instructions for Playing at the Game of Cricket.[4]
Notes
[edit]- ↑ Any match listed in the ACS' Important Match Guide (1981) is historically important, and therefore of the highest standard, whether or not a scorecard might exist. The same applies to numerous matches discovered by researchers since 1981.[1] For further information, see First-class cricket.
References
[edit]- ↑ ACS 1981, pp. 1–40.
- 1 2 Haygarth 1996, p. 90.
- ↑ "Thomas Boxall". CricketArchive. Retrieved 10 May 2026.
- ↑ Bowen 1970, p. 268.
Bibliography
[edit]- ACS (1981). A Guide to Important Cricket Matches Played in the British Isles 1709–1863. Nottingham: ACS. OCLC 85045528.
- Bowen, Rowland (1970). Cricket: A History of its Growth and Development. London: Eyre & Spottiswoode. ISBN 978-04-13278-60-9.
- Haygarth, Arthur (1996) [1862]. Scores & Biographies, Volume 1 (1744–1826). Kennington: Frederick Lillywhite. ISBN 978-19-00592-23-9.
Further reading
[edit]- Buckley, G. B. (1935). Fresh Light on 18th Century Cricket. Birmingham: Cotterell & Co. OCLC 23450280.
- Waghorn, H. T. (2005) [1906]. The Dawn of Cricket. London: J. W. McKenzie. ISBN 978-09-47821-17-3.
