Thomas Boxall
Encyclopedia
Thomas Boxall was a famous English cricket
er of the late 18th century. He was a very successful right arm bowler, believed to have been fast underarm.
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 (the Walker brothers
of Hambledon
also did this at their farm).
Thomas Boxall made his known debut in the 1789 season
and had 96 known appearances in major matches from 1789 to 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.
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
er of the late 18th century. He was a very successful right arm bowler, believed to have been fast underarm.
According to Scores and Biographies, Boxall was about 5 ft 5in tall, strong and muscular. He may have been born at Ripley, Surrey
Ripley, Surrey
Ripley is a village and parish in Surrey, which grew on the main A3 road from London to Portsmouth. The road was renumbered as B2215 when a bypass was built. The village is situated close to the M25 motorway and southeast of Woking, northeast of Guildford and some southwest of central London...
but this is uncertain, especially as he played mainly for Kent
Kent county cricket teams
Kent county cricket teams have been traced back to the 17th century but the county's involvement in cricket goes back much further than that. Kent, jointly with Sussex, is the birthplace of the sport...
. He was employed for a long time by the Kent patron Stephen Amherst
Stephen Amherst
Stephen Amherst was an English amateur cricketer who was also a noted patron and organiser of first-class matches....
. Amherst constructed an indoor practice area in a barn so that Boxall could bowl to him during the winter (the Walker brothers
Thomas Walker (cricketer)
Thomas "Tom" Walker was an English cricketer who played for Hampshire in the days of the Hambledon Club and later for Surrey. He was famous for his brilliant defensive batting. He is also credited with introducing, roundarm bowling, the predecessor of modern overarm bowling.-Career:Walker was born...
of Hambledon
Hambledon Club
The Hambledon Club was a social club that is famous for its organisation of 18th century cricket matches. By the late 1770s it was the foremost cricket club in England.-Foundation:...
also did this at their farm).
Thomas Boxall made his known debut in the 1789 season
1789 English cricket season
In the 1789 English cricket season, while Hampshire played Kent on Windmill Down, the Storming of the Bastille was taking place in Paris and the French Revolution ended the first cricket overseas tour before it even began.- Matches :- Other events :...
and had 96 known appearances in major matches from 1789 to 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.