A SOUVENIR cricket ball given to a schoolboy as a present for finding the famous ball hit for six sixes in one over by Notts cricket legend Garry Sobers is up for sale.
The ball, signed by Sobers, was found by Richard Lewis, who at the time was 17 and lived in Pontardawe, Wales.
It is expected to make £1 500 when it is sold at Hansons in Etwall, Derbyshire, later this month.
Lewis, now 61, found the ball lying in St Helen’s Avenue, Swansea, as players were leaving the field in the historic match which saw Sobers – a former West Indian captain – smash six sixes in one over in 1968, as Notts played Glamorgan.
The sale is of particular interest because the supposed actual ball hit by Sobers during that game was sold at auction in 2006 for £26 400 to an anonymous overseas buyer.
However since this sale, evidence gathered by freelance journalist Graham Lloyd has cast the authenticity of that ball into doubt – so much so that when the ball came back up for auction in May this year it was rejected for sale by the auctioneers Bonhams.
The crux of Mr Lloyd’s argument lies in the make of cricket balls used by Glamorgan Cricket Club.
He says it is common knowledge among cricket fans that at that time Glamorgan always used a Stuart Surridge ball in matches – but the one sold back in 2006 was made by Duke & Son.
Now Mr Lloyd says that this ball – being sold on Friday, October 26 – is the “closest genuine memento” for cricketing fans to get their hands on, in memory of that game.
He said: “I think it should be of interest – it’s a memento from that game which we can rely upon.”
Charles Hanson, owner of auctioneers, said: “It is the nearest to the original six- sixes ball in that it’s the same make and same age.
“It’s signed by Garry Sobers and provides an opportunity to acquire an item linked to one of sport’s most iconic moments.”
Lewis, a semi-retired history and politics teacher in Birmingham, said: “Bearing in mind the recent publicity associated with the original ball, I’ve decided that now would be a good time to sell mine and use the proceeds for an excellent holiday.” (Nottingham Post)
