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Thomas Boxall
Domestic team information
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 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]

Notes

^ During this period, wickets taken by bowlers were normally only recorded if they were bowled. Other means of dismissal were not credited to any bowler.^[3] As a result it is impossible to know how many wickets Boxall took. It is also impossible to know how many balls he bowled, the number of runs he conceded or to calculate an accurate bowling average.
^ CricketArchive lists 89 first-class matches and 317 wickets for Boxall; CricInfo lists 88 matches and 313 wickets.^[4]^[5]
^ During the time Boxall played, England sides were not representative of the country. Instead, they were sides composed of players from a range of locations brought together to play against another side.^[6]

References

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