| Thomas Boxall | |
| Club1: | Kent |
| Year1: | 1789–1796 |
| Type1: | FC |
| Debutdate1: | 10 June |
| Debutyear1: | 1789 |
| Debutfor1: | Kent |
| Debutagainst1: | Surrey |
| Lastdate1: | 21 June |
| Lastyear1: | 1803 |
| Lastfor1: | England |
| Lastagainst1: | Surrey |
| Source: | https://www.espncricinfo.com/player/thomas-boxall-9917 CricInfo |
| Date: | 30 June |
| Year: | 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 in 89 first-class matches, playing between 1789 and 1803.[3] As a professional he played for a wide variety of sides, most frequently appearing for England sides and for Kent county cricket teams, although he played as a given man for both Brighton and Middlesex teams.[3] According to Scores and Biographies, Boxall was around 5inchesft5inchesin (ftin) tall, strong and muscular and may have been born at Ripley, Surrey.[4] 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.[5] In 1801, towards the end of his playing career, he published Rules and Instructions for Playing at the Game of Cricket.[6] [7] Early editions of the book are considered to be "extremely scarce"[8] 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".[9] A copy of the second edition of the book, thought to have been printed in 1802, sold at auction for £2,600 in 2010.[10]