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Horntye Park delighted with auction results

A total of 190 lots of Horntye Parks cricket memorabilia went under the hammer in July. The one above , (lot 5), an 1886 handbill, fetched 1,200.

A total of 190 lots of Horntye Parks cricket memorabilia went under the hammer in July. The one above , (lot 5), an 1886 handbill, fetched 1,200.

Kevin Miller, manager of Horntye Park Sports Complex said he was “delighted” with July’s cricket memorabilia auction results. “We made considerably more than we’d been hoping for. It will give us working capital until the land deal goes through”. Before the sale, Kevin said he’d be pleased with £30,000. It is believed that the total sum raised was about £63,000, so he should be very pleased.
This collection of cricket books, photographs and other ephemera was sold on behalf of the Horntye Park Sports Club and the majority of the items originated from the old Hastings Cricket Ground at Priory Meadow. The auction was conducted by Knights Sporting Auctions at Leicester on Saturday July 19th
Some lots produced pleasant surprises, for example, an original 1895 sepia photograph of W G Grace in batting pose and signed in black ink by Grace, fetched £2000 (the auctioneer’s estimate had been £500 to £800). Another excellent result was for an original official scorebook for the 1880-1881 seasons which fetched £2,100 (auctioneer’s estimate: no more than £250). An early handbill for an 1886 match between Hastings & St Leonards Cricket Club v The Parsees (Bombay, India) was knocked down for £1,200 (estimate £250-£350). This interesting item listed the names of the two teams and at the bottom, it reads ‘Admission 6d, Carriages 2s. 6d, Bath Chairs 1s’.
Not all lots found buyers however – for instance, a black and white photograph of the Hastings team which played Barclays Bank in 1937, estimated to fetch at least £40, remained unsold.

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