Catalogue for the auction of
Cricket, Wisden Cricketers’ Almanacks,
Football & Sporting Memorabilia
Held on Friday, Saturday & Sunday
22nd, 23rd & 24th March 2024
Lot 39
Estimate: £180/250
Hammer: £1300
William Lloyd ‘Billy’ Murdoch. New South Wales, Sussex, London County, Australia & England 1875-1904. Original and interesting two page ‘begging letter’ handwritten in black ink from Murdoch to ‘Dear Old Dick’, dated 11th January 1904. Murdoch appears to be in some financial difficulty, asking for ‘a very good favour. I want you old man if you possibly can to lend me £35’. Murdoch expects to be able to repay the loan ‘next month, but failing that, you would be sure to have it in June, when our money comes home from Australia. I have run a bit short and there are a couple of things I particularly want to settle up’. He continues in a lighter vein, asking after his friends health, and refers to not having seen ‘old W.G. [Grace] for some time. I have been round to the ground several times, but he is always away beagling or golfing’. He closes with a reference to the Australians, ‘I am afraid they will be very weak in the bowling’ (M.C.C. were touring in Australia at the time of his writing). He signs off ‘Bye Bye, Ever yours’, nicely signed by Murdoch. Interestingly, Knights sold Murdoch’s follow-up letter dated 15th January 1904 (as lot 75 in the auction of November 2017), in which he expressed his regrets at his request for the loan being turned down saying ‘I would be very sorry to think old man that my asking and you refusing would in any way interfere with our friendship...’. Some splitting to fold, otherwise in good/ very good condition.
Billy Murdoch is listed as player/cap number thirteen in the list of Australian Test players and he played his first Test match for Australia, in the second Test ever played, against England at Melbourne in March/April 1877. He captained Australia in sixteen Tests from 1880 to 1890, this included four tours to England one of which, in 1882, gave rise to The Ashes. A right hand batsman and occasional wicket keeper, he played in eighteen Test matches overall for Australia. Murdoch scored both the first double century in Test cricket (211 against England in 1884) and the first triple century in Australian domestic cricket (321 against Victoria in 1882). In later years, he settled in England, playing county cricket for Sussex (1893 to 1899, as captain) and W.G. Grace’s London County team (1900 to 1904). In 1892 he toured South Africa with England and played in one Test match, making him one of the few cricketers to represent more than one international team. Murdoch’s final first-class match came at the age of 49, in August 1904. He died in Melbourne in 1911, aged only 56.
Warwickshire C.C.C. The following fourteen lots comprise a collection of correspondence, the majority written to or by Leslie Deakins who served as Secretary from 1945 to 1976.
Warwickshire C.C.C. The following fourteen lots comprise a collection of correspondence, the majority written to or by Leslie Deakins who served as Secretary from 1945 to 1976.