John James Boys (17 August 1856 – 1 August 1883) was an English cricketer active in first-class cricket in the mid-1870s and early 1880s. Born at Titchfield, Hampshire, Boys was a right-handed batsman who played as a wicket-keeper.

John Boys
Personal information
Full name
John James Boys
Born17 August 1856
Titchfield, Hampshire
Died1 August 1883(1883-08-01) (aged 26)
Woolwich, Kent
BattingRight-handed
BowlingRight-arm roundarm fast
RoleWicket-keeper
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
1875–1881Kent
Career statistics
Competition First-class
Matches 3
Runs scored 34
Batting average 6.80
100s/50s 0/0
Top score 21
Catches/stumpings 4/2
Source: CricInfo, 27 June 2014

Boys entered the British Army at the age of fifteen with the Royal Artillery based at Woolwich, where he was a musician with the Royal Artillery Band.[1] He played cricket with some success for the Royal Artillery Cricket Club and was asked to play for Kent County Cricket Club many times but was unable to get leave of absence to do so.[1] He did, however, make his debut in first-class cricket for Kent in 1875 against Hampshire. He later made two further first-class appearances for Kent in 1881 against the Marylebone Cricket Club and Surrey.[2] Boys scored 34 runs in his four matches, as well as taking four catches and making two stumpings.[3]

Boys died suddenly aged 26 at Woolwich on 1 August 1883 on the day of his planned wedding to his fiancée.[1][4]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Ambrose, Don. "Brief Profile of J. J. Boys". CricketArchive. Retrieved 27 June 2014.
  2. ^ "First-Class Matches played by John Boys". CricketArchive. Retrieved 27 June 2014.
  3. ^ "First-class Batting and Fielding For Each Team by John Boys". CricketArchive. Retrieved 27 June 2014.
  4. ^ Carlaw D (2020) Kent County Cricketers A to Z. Part One: 1806–1914 (revised edition), pp. 83–84. (Available online at the Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians. Retrieved 7 August 2022.)
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John Boys at ESPNcricinfo