Catalogue for the auction of
Cricket, Football & Sporting Memorabilia

Kumar Shri Ranjitsinhji. Cambridge University, Sussex, London County & England 1893-1920. Albert Craig. ‘Cricket Rhymester’ 1896. Original single page broadsheet of a poem by Craig titled ‘To Prince Ranjitsinhji. A Prince in every sense’. The poem relates to ‘one of the most sensational matches of the season’ when Sussex played Gloucestershire at Hove, 25th- 27th May 1896. W.G. Grace scored 243 in Gloucestershire’s first innings of 463 and then dismissed Sussex for 246, Ranji scoring only 7. However, following-on in the second innings, Ranji’s 114no with Bean scoring 113 and Marlow 108, almost turned the tables with Sussex declaring on 420/3. Gloucestershire ended 88/7 to hold on for the draw. Craig describes Ranji’s play ‘You drive them here, you cut them there/ You seem to put them everywhere’ and closes in the final stanza, ‘Thrice blessed be that lucky day/ You turned your footsteps Brighton way/ Hail, Prince of Sport, all hail’. Below is an advertisement for F.H. Ayres cricket equipment. The page measures 8.5”x11.25”. Light folds and creasing, foxing to the page, otherwise in good/ very good condition.