Harry Boyle (cricketer) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Harry Boyle

Boyle in about 1880
Personal information
Full name	Henry Frederick Boyle
Born	(1847-12-10)10 December 1847 Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Died	21 November 1907(1907-11-21) (aged 59) Bendigo, Victoria
Batting	Right-handed
Bowling	Right-arm medium
International information
National side	Australia
Test debut (cap 17)	2 January 1879 v England
Last Test	12 December 1884 v England
Career statistics
Competition Test First-class Matches 12 140 Runs scored 153 1,711 Batting average 12.75 10.24 100s/50s 0/0 1/1 Top score 36* 108 Balls bowled 1,743 16,429 Wickets 32 370 Bowling average 20.03 15.38 5 wickets in innings 1 26 10 wickets in match 0 6 Best bowling 6/42 7/32 Catches/stumpings 10/– 126/–
Source: CricInfo, 31 January 2020

Henry Frederick Boyle (born December 10, 1847 – died November 21, 1907) was a famous Australian cricketer. He played during the 1870s and 1880s and was known as a top player.

Early Life and Cricket Beginnings

Harry Boyle's family moved from Sydney to the Bendigo area in 1853. His father, Daniel Boyle, became a store owner in Sydney Flat. This place is now known as Woodvale.

Harry learned how to play cricket from John Glen. John was a gold prospector and a journalist for the Bendigo Advertiser newspaper.

Aerial picture of the Henry Frederick (Harry) Boyle Oval.

Around 1862, Harry helped create the Sydney Flat Cricket Ground. In March 2023, this ground was named the Henry Frederick (Harry) Boyle Oval. This was done to celebrate his amazing sports achievements.

Harry Boyle's Cricket Career

Playing for Local Clubs

As a young man, Boyle played for the Sydney Flat Cricket Club. He even helped start this club. People quickly noticed how good he was at cricket.

He was asked to play for the Bendigo United Cricket Club (BUCC) in 1864. The BUCC was the biggest cricket club in the area at that time.

Here are Boyle's stats while playing for the BUCC:

• Batting: 105 innings, 1923 runs, 18.3 average
• Bowling: 352 wickets, 1855 runs, 5.2 average

The Bendigo team ready to play against Grace's XI in 1874.

His great performance for the BUCC caught the eye of the East Melbourne Cricket Club. He also got to play for the state of Victoria. In March 1872, he played for Victoria for the first time. He scored 27 runs but didn't get to bowl.

In December 1873, he made history. He was the first Australian to bowl against the famous W. G. Grace. This happened when he played for XV of Victoria against Grace's English team.

Joining East Melbourne Cricket Club

Starting in 1872, Boyle would travel to Melbourne every weekend. He played with the East Melbourne Cricket Club (EMCC). In 1874, he moved to Melbourne for good.

He became the captain of the EMCC in 1875. This happened after Dan Wilkie retired from top-level cricket.

Here are Boyle's stats for first-eleven matches with the EMCC:

• Batting: 211 innings, 4352 runs, 23.5 average (between 1872 and 1896)
• Bowling: 15562 balls, 5113 runs, 619 wickets, 8.161 average (between 1872 and 1874)

Representing Victoria

Boyle played for Victoria 28 times. He also helped choose players for the team.

Here are his stats for Victoria:

• Batting: 51 innings, 614 runs, 12.03 average
• Bowling: 3700 balls, 1213 runs, 62 wickets, 19.56 average

Playing for Australia

Boyle traveled to England with the Australian cricket teams many times. He went in 1878, 1880, 1882, 1884, and 1888. In 1890, he went as the team manager.

He was chosen to be captain for the 1880 tour. But before they arrived, the team voted to replace him. They chose Billy Murdoch instead, who was more outgoing.

Boyle was an excellent medium-fast bowler. People said his best skills were his accurate deliveries. He was also good at finding out a batsman's weak spots. W. G. Grace, a famous cricketer, wrote about Boyle in 1899. He said Boyle was smart and often got batsmen out when others couldn't.

His bowling was especially good in English weather. His achievements were sometimes overshadowed by his teammate, Fred Spofforth. Spofforth was known as "The Demon Bowler." However, the Referee newspaper in Sydney noted that Boyle "bowled more with his head than Spoff did."

He was also a very good fielder close to the batsman. He was a brave batsman, even if he didn't score huge runs. In total, he played 12 Test matches for Australia.

Here are his stats for Australia:

• Batting: 16 innings, 153 runs, 12.75 average
• Bowling: 1743 balls, 641 runs, 32 wickets, 20.03 average

Other Sports and Business

Playing Football

Boyle also played Australian rules football. He played for Sandhurst Football Club in 1872 and 1873. In 1874, he played for the Carlton Football Club.

Boyle and Scott Sporting Goods

In August 1879, Harry Boyle opened a sports store called H. F. Boyle and Co. It was on Bourke Street in Melbourne. In January 1880, his friend Dave Scott joined him. The store then became Boyle and Scott.

This company was very important and creative in the world of sports in Victoria. They published five editions of Boyle and Scott's Australian Cricketer's Guide. These guides are very helpful for cricket historians today.

The company closed in 1892 because of money problems at that time.

Later Years and Family

After his business closed, Harry Boyle spent time in the Bendigo area. He played a few games for his old clubs, Sydney Flat and Bendigo United.

Headstone and burial place of Harry Boyle in the family plot at White Hills Cemetery in Bendigo. His friends put up the headstone.

In 1895, Boyle moved to Brisbane and played cricket there. He then lived in Tasmania for a short time in 1896. After that, he returned to Victoria.

In 1897, Boyle got a government job. He became the superintendent of track cutting in Gippsland. He and his wife, Margaret, lived in Walhalla during these years.

In 1903, Boyle lost his job. He and Margaret moved back to Melbourne. He then worked as a collector for the Melbourne Benevolent Asylum. He held this job until shortly before he passed away.

Personal Life

On March 12, 1879, Harry Boyle married Margaret (Maggie) Wilson Scott. They did not have any children. Margaret Boyle lived longer than her husband. She passed away in Hobart on March 2, 1920.

Harry Boyle's family history is interesting. He was related to two people from Australia's First Fleet. These were Thomas Chipp, a marine, and Jane Langley, a convict.

His Passing

In the middle of 1907, Boyle started having problems with his eyes and chest pains. He had an operation on his throat. After the operation, he went to Bendigo to stay with his brother-in-law.

Sadly, his health continued to get worse. He passed away on November 21, 1907, at a private hospital. He was 59 years old.