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The Otago Boys' High School Foundation
PO Box 11,
Dunedin, New Zealand
Tel +64 3 477 2546
Fax +64 3 477 5468
A fifty year old cricket bat, personally autographed by the late Bert Sutcliffe, will go under the hammer at an auction to be held in the Otago Golf Club’s clubhouse at 5.00pm on Friday 19 November.
The bat was made by Stuart Surridge of England and is a “New Zealand XI Bert Sutcliffe Autograph” bat signed in ball point pen with the inscription “Good Luck, Bert Sutcliffe” on the back.
The bat is owned by Otago Boys’ High School Golf Master and Otago Daily Times Golf Writer Bill Trewern and is being put up to raise funds for his school golf team to play in the World Schools’ tournament in Stellenbosch in South Africa next April.
“There are ten boys from school going on the tour and each one has to find $6500 for all of the travel and tournament expenses,” Bill said.
For Bill’s twelfth birthday, his father Jack took him into the Sutcliffe and Cederwall sports shop in Princes Street to buy the bat.
Bert spoke to Bill at length and personally autographed the bat wishing him good luck for his cricketing career.
But it was not to be as Bill became engrossed with the game of golf and has spent most of his spare time involved with that sport in various capacities ever since.
“There were some pretty quick bowlers around and not much padding in those days and I remember coming home battered and bruised after facing the late Jim McDonald in the nets.”
And so the bat, which is in mint condition, had little use but Bill grabbed it from his parents’ home when he got married in case he had a son.
“I wish I had also taken my collection of Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck comics as they would now fund the entire trip for everyone.”
Bill hopes that some sporting memorabilia collectors may be interested in the bat which is one of many items to be auctioned.
