Johnny Douglas John " Johnny " William Henry Tyler Douglas ( 3 September 1882 – 19 December 1930 ) was a cricketer who was captain of the England team and an Olympic boxer . Early life . Douglas was the son of John H . Douglas and was born at Stoke Newington , London in what is now Belfast Road . He was educated at Moulton Grammar School and Felsted School 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 was an excellent Middleweight boxer becoming Olympic champion at the 1908 Games held in London . 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 . Supporters of the silver medal winner , Snowy Baker , later claimed that Douglas ' father was the sole judge and referee . Baker himself never publicly contested the close points verdict which Douglas , who scored a second - round knockdown over him , won in their Olympic final . But , in a 1952 interview , he claimed that Douglas ’ s father had refereed the fight , leading to widespread suspicion of a dodgy decision , but in fact John Douglas senior was only at ringside , from where refs worked in those days , to present the medals , in his role as president of the ABA . The real ref 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 ABA , the last also being the leading referee in the professional sport in the 1930s . Douglas also won the 1905 ABA Middleweight title . Cricket career . Douglas was an untiring fast - medium bowler and obdurate batsman who was nicknamed with a play on his initials JWHT " Johnny Won ' t Hit Today " by Australian hecklers . He captained the school teams at Felsted and was a member of Wanstead C . C . He played for Essex in 1902 and for London County in 1903 . In 1904 he returned to Essex where he remained , captaining the side from 1911 to 1928 . He played for England before and after the First World War . Douglas was named as a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1915 , but play was suspended during the war years . After the war until 1923 had to carry Essex ' s bowling on his shoulders except when George Louden turned out . He took over 100 wickets in a season seven times with a best of 147 in 1920 . The following year against Derbyshire he produced perhaps the most remarkable all - round performance in cricket history . After taking nine for 47 , Douglas stopped a breakdown against Bill Bestwick with an unbeaten 210 that tired him so much he did not bowl until the end of Derbyshire ' s second innings . He then took two for none , giving him a match record of eleven for 47 . Douglas captained England eighteen times , with a Test match record of won eight , lost eight , drawn two . Successful as stand - in captain in Australia in 1911 , he won the series 4 – 1 . On the 1920 / 21 tour of Australia he led a depleted post - war side which suffered a 0 – 5 ' whitewash ' , a scoreline not repeated in an Ashes series until the 2006 / 7 England team lost by the same margin . Reappointed reluctantly by the M . C . C . in 1921 , he lost the first two Tests at home to Warwick Armstrong ' s side and was displaced as captain but retained in the XI . He captained England in one further Test match , against South Africa in July 1924 , and played his final Test on the 1924 / 25 England tour of Australia . Later life . Douglas married Evelyn Ruby Case , the widowed sister of two of his close wartime friends , on 25 December 1916 . He had no children but one stepson . He drowned when the " Oberon " , on which he and his father were travelling , was wrecked seven miles south of the Laeso Trindel Lightship , Denmark . It had collided with a sister - vessel in foggy weather when the two captains who were brothers were attempting to exchange Christmas greetings . According to a witness at the post mortem enquiry , Douglas may well have been trying to save his father . They had been purchasing timber in Finland . He was aged 48 .