Weekes bat goes for UKP 1,050 (23 May 1998)

Saturday, May 23, 1998

Weekes bat goes for UKP £1,050

Lancashire Evening Telegraph

SIR Everton Weekes's record breaking bat sold at auction in London for UKP £1,050.

The Stuart Surridge bat was used by the legendary West Indian batsman to break the Lancashire League aggregate run record for a season when he scored 1,518 runs for Bacup in 1951.

And when it went under the hammer at Phillips in London competitive bidding forced the price slightly above the expected figure. The new owner's identity has not been revealed but the bat, which was also used by Weekes on the West Indies' tour of England in 1950, is thought to be staying in this country.

Weekes' record was broken by Peter Sleep when playing for Rishton in 1991.

A new mark of 1718 was then set by Colne's Ben Johnson two years ago but Bacup follower Kenneth Simpson believes Weekes' total would have stood to this day if the same rules as then had still applied.

In the 1950s all boundaries were counted as fours on some of the Lancashire League's smaller grounds.

And Simpson feels that Weekes would have topped 2,000 runs had sixes been awarded at every venue.

The most expensive lot at the sale of cricketing memorabilia was a bat used by WG Grace in 1863 which fetched UKP £23,000.

Source :: Lancashire Evening Telegraph (https://www.reednews.co.uk/let/)