John Boorman (c. 1754 – 1 August 1807) was an English

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...

er whose known career spanned 26 seasons from 1768 to 1793.Haygarth, p. 3. In ''

Scores & Biographies Arthur Haygarth (4 August 1825 – 1 May 1903) was a noted amateur cricketer who became one of cricket's most significant historians. He played first-class cricket for the Marylebone Cricket Club and Sussex between 1844 and 1861, as well as num ...

'', Arthur Haygarth recorded that he found a reference to Boorman "in another account" (re a single wicket match in 1772) which called him James, but Haygarth was convinced that the correct name was John which recurred. Haygarth discovered that Boorman was "probably" born at Cranbrook in Kent but may have resided for many years at Sevenoaks, though he certainly died at Ashurst in

Sussex Sussex (), from the Old English (), is a historic county in South East England that was formerly an independent medieval Anglo-Saxon kingdom. It is bounded to the west by Hampshire, north by Surrey, northeast by Kent, south by the English ...

, where he spent his latter years as a farmer. Boorman's year of birth is an estimate based on evidence found by Haygarth that he was 53 when he died and Haygarth made a comment that Boorman "began playing in great matches very young". Boorman is believed to have been a left-handed batsman but it is not known if he bowled left arm. Like all bowlers of the time, he was underarm but his pace is unknown. As a fielder, he was generally deployed at point. Many of Boorman's appearances are unrecorded, as is the case with all 18th century players. The total number of appearances credited to him in the sources is 63, of which 61 were in important eleven-a-side matches and two in single wicket matches. Boorman is first recorded in May 1768 playing in a five-a-side single wicket match at the Artillery Ground. He was in a team formed by Sir Horatio Mann, playing against John Sackville's Five, and scored eight runs in the match which Sackville's team won by four wickets. A few weeks later, Boorman made his first known appearance in an important match when he played for Mann's

Bourne Bourne may refer to: Places UK * Bourne, Lincolnshire, a town ** Bourne Abbey ** Bourne railway station * Bourne (electoral division), West Sussex * Bourne SSSI, Avon, a Site of Special Scientific Interest near Burrington, North Somerset * Bourne ...

team against

Henry Rowett Henry Rowett (dates unknown) was an English amateur cricketer who played for Surrey teams during the 1760s. He was chiefly noted for his patronage of Caterham Cricket Club which was prominent between 1767 and 1770. Nothing is known of Rowett a ...

's Caterham on Westerham Common. One of the earliest scorecards has survived and records that Boorman scored one and nine, but Caterham won by 14 runs. Boorman played mostly for Kent, but he also made appearances for All-England teams. He played for Middlesex as a given man against Essex in the earliest known match on Lord's Old Ground in May 1787, top scoring for the home side in both innings with 23 and 37. He also took a known six (i.e., bowled only) wickets in the match which Middlesex won by 93 runs.Haygarth, p. 70. From 1791 to 1793, Boorman made six known appearances for Essex and Haygarth suggested that he might have removed into the county, but with no certainty.

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* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Boorman, John 1750s births 1807 deaths English cricketers Essex cricketers Kent cricketers Middlesex cricketers English cricketers of 1701 to 1786 English cricketers of 1787 to 1825 Non-international England cricketers Hornchurch Cricket Club cricketers West Kent cricketers East Kent cricketers