John William Henry Tyler Douglas (3 September 1882 – 19 December 1930) was an English cricketer who was active in the early decades of the twentieth century. Douglas was an all-rounder who played for Essex County Cricket Club from 1901 to 1928 and captained the county from 1911 to 1928. He also played for England and captained the England team both before and after the First World War with markedly different success. As well as playing cricket, Douglas was a notable amateur boxer who won the middleweight gold medal at the 1908 Olympic Games. Early life Douglas was the son of successful timber merchant John Herbert Douglas (1853–1930) and Julia Ann (née Tyler) and was born at Stoke Newington, London in what is now Belfast Road. He was educated at Moulton Grammar School and Felsted School, where at school he was coached by the former first-class player T.N. Perkins, and joined his father's wood-importing firm, which supported his amateur status in cricket and boxing. Douglas also played football once for the England amateur side (occasion unknown, through loss of records). He served in the Bedfordshire Regiment throughout World War I, eventually as major (acting lieutenant-colonel). Boxing career Douglas took up boxing while still a schoolboy, and won the Amateur Boxing Association 1905 middleweight title, when boxing out of the Belsize ABC. In 1908 Douglas won an Olympic gold medal as a middleweight boxer. All three of his bouts, including the final, described by The Times as "one of the most brilliant exhibitions of skilful boxing, allied to tremendous hitting, ever seen.", were held on the same day. The silver medal winner, Snowy Baker, 44 years later falsely claimed that Douglas's father was the sole judge and referee. Baker never publicly contested the close points verdict which Douglas, who scored a second-round knockdown over him and won in their Olympic final. Yet, in a 1952 interview, he claimed that Douglas's father had refereed the fight, leading to widespread suspicion of a dodgy decision. In reality Douglas senior was at ringside, to present the medals, in his role as president of the Amateur Boxing Association of England (ABA). The real referee was Eugene Corri, who did not have to give a casting vote as the two judges agreed that Douglas was a narrow winner. Douglas Jr, his father and his younger brother, Cecil ('Pickles') were all prominent referees and officials in the