James Bovill

James Noel Bruce Bovill (born 2 June 1971) is an English former cricketer who played first-class cricket predominantly for Hampshire from 1993 to 1997.

Bovill was born at High Wycombe in June 1971. He was educated at Charterhouse School, before matriculating to Durham University. Playing his early club cricketer for Marlow, Bovill played minor counties cricket for Buckinghamshire in the Minor Counties Championship between 1990 and 1993. While studying at Durham, he was chosen to represent the Combined Universities cricket team in 1992 Benson & Hedges Cup, making his debut in List A one-day cricket against Worcestershire. He made four appearances for the Combined Services in that seasons competition. Bovill was signed by Hampshire while still a student at Durham, In 1994, he made his final two appearances for the Combined Universities. The first at Oxford came against Lancashire in the preliminary round of the Benson & Hedges Cup.

During the 1994 season, he made five first-class appearances for Hampshire, with 5 for 108 against Leicestershire in the County Championship. In 1995, he took 30 first-class wickets at an average of 27.13; His returns improved the following season, with 34 first-class wickets, though at a higher average of 35.26. During the 1997 season, he made nine first-class and four one-day appearances in the Axa Life League, Bovill retired from professional cricket after the 1997 season, having suffered from a persistent back injury. In 37 first-class matches for Hampshire, he took 99 wickets at an average of 33.11; he took four five wicket hauls, with his 12 wickets against Durham in 1995 the only time he took ten-wickets in a match.

In 1998, he played at minor counties level, returning to his home county Buckinghamshire. Alongside his minor counties appearances, Bovill also made three List A one-day appearances for Buckinghamshire: one in the 1998 NatWest Trophy against Surrey, and two in the 1999 NatWest Trophy against the Yorkshire Cricket Board and Warwickshire.