| Domestic team information | |
|---|---|
| Years | Team |
| 1789–1796 | Kent |
| FC debut | 10 June 1789 Kent v Surrey |
| Last FC | 21 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 was "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 important matches, [b] playing between 1789 and 1803. [4] As a professional he played for a wide variety of teams,most frequently appearing for England (i.e.,the "rest" of England) and Kent. He also played as a given man for both Brighton and Middlesex. [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. [6] He was employed by Stephen Amherst,who organised Kent matches,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. [7] In 1801,towards the end of his playing career,he published Rules and Instructions for Playing at the Game of Cricket. [8] [9] Early editions of the book are "extremely scarce" [10] 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". [11] A copy of the second edition of the book,thought to have been printed in 1802,sold at auction for £2,600 in 2010. [12]
  | This biographical article related to an English cricket person born in the 1760s is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
