Johnny Douglas facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Johnny Douglas

Douglas c. 1906
Personal information
Full name	John William Henry Tyler Douglas
Born	(1882-09-03)3 September 1882 Stoke Newington, London, England
Died	19 December 1930(1930-12-19) (aged 48) at sea, seven miles south of the Læsø Trindel Lightship, Denmark
Batting	Right-handed
Bowling	Right arm fast-medium
International information
National side	England
Test debut (cap 170)	15 December 1911 v Australia
Last Test	8 January 1925 v Australia
Domestic team information
Years	Team
1901–1928	Essex
1903–1904	London County
Career statistics
Competition Tests First-class Matches 23 651 Runs scored 962 24,531 Batting average 29.15 27.90 100s/50s 1/6 26/107 Top score 119 210* Balls bowled 2,812 83,528 Wickets 45 1,893 Bowling average 33.02 23.32 5 wickets in innings 1 113 10 wickets in match 0 23 Best bowling 5/46 9/47 Catches/stumpings 9/– 365/–
Source: Cricinfo, 11 November 2008

Douglas as a boxer at the 1908 Olympics
Sport
Sport	Boxing
Club	Belsize BC, Hampstead
Medal record Representing  Great Britain Olympic Games Gold 1908 London -71.7 kg

John William Henry Tyler Douglas (born September 3, 1882 – died December 19, 1930) was a famous English sportsman. He was a talented cricketer and also a skilled boxer. Johnny Douglas played cricket for Essex County Cricket Club and was the captain for many years. He also led the England team in Test matches.

Douglas was known as an all-rounder in cricket. This means he was very good at both batting and bowling. Besides cricket, he achieved something amazing in boxing: he won a gold medal at the 1908 Olympic Games.

Early Life & Education

Johnny Douglas was born in Stoke Newington, London. His father was a successful businessman who imported timber. Johnny went to Moulton Grammar School and Felsted School. At school, he learned cricket from a former professional player, T.N. Perkins.

After school, he joined his father's business. This allowed him to play cricket and box as an amateur. An amateur player does not get paid for playing. During World War I, Douglas served in the army as a major. He even played football once for the England amateur team.

Boxing Career & Olympic Gold

Johnny Douglas started boxing when he was still at school. In 1905, he won the national middleweight title for amateur boxers in England.

His biggest boxing achievement was at the 1908 Olympic Games in London. He won the gold medal in the middleweight category. All three of his boxing matches, including the final, happened on the same day! The final match was described as a brilliant display of skill and powerful hitting.

After the Olympics, there was a false rumor. The silver medalist, Snowy Baker, claimed that Douglas's father was the referee. This made people think the decision was unfair. However, this was not true. Douglas's father was at the ringside to present the medals because he was the president of the Amateur Boxing Association. The real referee was Eugene Corri, and two judges agreed that Douglas won fairly.

Douglas's Olympic results were:

• Defeated René Doudelle (France) by knockout in round 1.
• Had a bye in the second round.
• Defeated Ruben Warnes (Great Britain) by knockout in round 2.
• Defeated Snowy Baker (Australia) by decision in the final.

Cricket Career Highlights

Johnny Douglas was a very determined player. He was a fast-medium bowler, meaning he bowled at a good speed. He was also an "obdurate batsman," which means he was hard to get out. His initials, J.W.H.T., led to a fun nickname: "Johnny Will Hit Today" when he was batting well, or "Johnny Won't Hit Today" when he wasn't.

He started playing for Essex when he was 18. In his first match, he got a "pair," meaning he was out for zero runs in both innings. But he worked hard to improve his game. By 1905, he was a strong bowler for Essex. He even took his first "hat-trick" against Yorkshire. A hat-trick is when a bowler takes three wickets with three consecutive balls.

In 1908, he scored over 1000 runs in a season for the first time. He became a top all-rounder and took over as captain of Essex in 1911. He remained captain until 1928.

Douglas played for England before and after World War I. He was named a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1915, which is a big honor in cricket. After the war, he often had to carry the bowling for Essex. He took over 100 wickets in a season seven times! His best was 147 wickets in 1920.

One of his most amazing performances was against Derbyshire. He took nine wickets for only 47 runs. Then, he scored an unbeaten 210 runs. He was so tired from batting that he didn't bowl again until the end of Derbyshire's second innings. He then took two more wickets without giving away any runs. This gave him a total of eleven wickets for 47 runs in the match!

Douglas captained England in 18 Test matches. He won 8, lost 8, and drew 2. In 1911, he led England to a great 4-1 series win in Australia. However, on the 1920-21 tour of Australia, his team lost all five matches. This is called a "whitewash." He played his last Test match in 1925.

Later Life & Tragic End

Douglas with his orchids at home in Theydon Bois, Essex, 1926

Johnny Douglas married Evelyn Ruby in 1916. She was a widow with a son named Gerald Case, who later became an actor. Johnny Douglas did not have any children of his own.

Sadly, Johnny Douglas died in a shipwreck on December 19, 1930. He was sailing with his father on a Finnish ship called the Oberon. They were returning to Britain after buying timber in Finland. The ship sank in the Kattegat Sea, near Denmark. Another ship crashed into it during a fog. Johnny Douglas was 48 years old when he died.

Images for kids

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  Douglas in 1906

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  Douglas as a boxer at the 1908 Olympics

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  Douglas with his orchids at home in Theydon Bois, Essex, 1926