Joe Cox

Who was Joe Cox?

Joseph Lovell Cox - Cox was born in Pietermaritzburg, Natal, on June 28, 1886 and died in Bulawayo, Rhodesia on July 4, 1971, aged 85. Whilst his batting was exactly what one would expect from a lower-order batsman, his fast-medium bowling was above average and he was also a good slip fielder. Playing for Natal throughout, Lovell’s first-class career spanned the years either side of World War I, 1911 to 1922, but it was his first season that was arguably his most notable. In his very first match, played at Durban against Orange Free State, he scored 51 batting at number 10, Natal’s second highest score of the innings and a total that Lovell was never subsequently to surpass. In his second match, against Western Province, he took seven wickets in the second innings for 42 runs and a few days later he took eight for 20 against Transvaal, seven of the opposition being clean bowled. In all six matches that season, Lovell took 36 wickets for 402 runs and significantly played his part in Natal’s first ever domestic championship title. He was selected for the tour of England in 1912 but from 37 matches, he only played in 14 and even in those that he did play, he was underused as a bowler. When England came to South Africa in 1913/14 under the captaincy of J.W.H.T. Douglas, Lovell played in three of the five Tests without distinction. His death in 1971 went unrecorded at the time and therefore no obituary was written for Joe Cox for Wisden’s Almanack. He was the brother-in-law of L.R. Tuckett and the uncle of L. Tuckett both of whom played for South Africa.