William Robert James Croxford (4 September 1863 – 30 June 1950) was a New Zealand cricketer. He played six first-class matches for Otago between the 1890–91 and 1893–94 seasons.[1]

James Croxford
Personal information
Full name
William Robert James Croxford
Born(1863-09-04)4 September 1863
Clerkenwell, London, England
Died30 June 1950(1950-06-30) (aged 86)
Inch Valley, Otago, New Zealand
RoleWicket-keeper
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
1890/91–1893/94Otago
Source: ESPNcricinfo, 8 May 2016

Croxford was born at Clerkenwell in London in 1863[2] and emigrated to New Zealand with his family in 1874. His family settled in Opoho in Otago, his father establishing a plumbing and hardware supplies business.[3]

Playing club cricket for North Dunedin and then Albion Cricket Clubs in Dunedin,[4][5][6] Croxford made his first-class debut against Canterbury in January 1891 as Otago's wicket-keeper. After playing in all four of the province's first-class matches during the 1892–93 season, he made his final appearance for the representative side the following season. In total he scored 118 runs, took seven catches and made five stumpings.[7]

As well as cricket, he played rugby union for Otago in 1888 and stood as an umpire in first-class cricket.[2][3] Despite "several offers" to play as a professional in both sports, he worked as a lithographer for a variety of firms in Dunedin.[3] He died at Inch Valley in Otago in 1950 aged 86.[1]

References

edit
  1. ^ a b "William Croxford". ESPNCricinfo. Retrieved 8 May 2016.
  2. ^ a b McCarron A (2010) New Zealand Cricketers 1863/64–2010, p. 39. Cardiff: The Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians. ISBN 978 1 905138 98 2
  3. ^ a b c Obituary, Otago Daily Times, issue 27441, 14 July 1950, p. 10. (Available online at Papers Past. Retrieved 17 June 2023.)
  4. ^ Cricket, Evening Star, issue 7344, 17 October 1887, p. 2. (Available online at Papers Past. Retrieved 17 June 2023.)
  5. ^ Albion Cricket Club, Otago Daily Times, issue 9841, 12 September 1893, p. 3. (Available online at Papers Past. Retrieved 17 June 2023.)
  6. ^ Intercolonial, Otago Daily Times, issue 9037, 12 February 1891, p. 2. (Available online at Papers Past. Retrieved 17 June 2023.)
  7. ^ James Croxford, CricketArchive. Retrieved 17 June 2023. (subscription required)
edit