Thomas Boxall

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[lower-alpha 1] in 89 first-class matches,[lower-alpha 2] playing between 1789 and 1803.[4] As a professional he played for a wide variety of sides, most frequently appearing for England sides[lower-alpha 3] 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 1801, towards the end of his playing career, Boxall published the earliest known instructional book on cricket, Rules and Instructions for Playing at the Game of Cricket.[8][9] Early editions of the book are considered to be "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]