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.

Career

According to Scores and Biographies, Boxall was about 5ft 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. The Walker brothers of Hambledon also did this at their farm.

Thomas Boxall made his known debut in the 1789 season, and made 89 known appearances in historically important matches from then until 1803.

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.

Notes

Bibliography

Further reading

  • Buckley, G. B. (1935). Fresh Light on 18th Century Cricket. Birmingham: Cotterell & Co. OCLC.
  • Waghorn, H. T. (2005) [1906]. The Dawn of Cricket. London: J. W. McKenzie. ISBN978-09-47821-17-3.