Catalogue for the auction of
Cricket, Wisden Cricketers’ Almanacks,
Football & Sporting Memorabilia

Held on Friday, Saturday & Sunday
22nd, 23rd & 24th March 2024

Colin Blythe. Kent & England 1899-1914. ‘Kent v. Somerset’ 1912. Original double sided scorecard with complete printed and faintly handwritten scores in pencil for the match played at the Bat and Ball Ground, Gravesend, 16th & 17th May 1912. Kent elected to bat first and reached 261 (‘Punter’ Humphreys 92, Bill Greswell 5/108). In reply Somerset were bowled out for 158, Blythe taking 7/78. In their second innings Kent reached 251 with Greswell taking a further five wickets giving him match figures of ten wickets for 205 runs. Kent then bowled Somerset out for only 74 with Blythe taking six wickets, returning match figures of thirteen wickets for 109, Kent winning by 280 runs in two days. Printed on the ground by Bryant & Rackshaw Ltd. of Gravesend. Local advertising to verso. 5.25”x7.5”. Horizontal fold with some splitting to fold, foxing, otherwise in generally good condition.
Colin Blythe was one of the principal left hand spin bowlers of the Edwardian era. He took over 2500 first class wickets with a best of 10-30 for Kent v Northamptonshire in 1907, he followed this by taking 7-18 in the second innings and with match figures of 17 wickets for 48 runs this still stands as the best bowling analysis in the County Championship. He took 100 wickets in nineteen Tests for England with a best of 8-59 v South Africa in 1907. Although Blythe suffered from epilepsy he freely volunteered for the Kings Own Yorkshire Light Infantry in 1914 and served with distinction on the Western Front. Blythe was killed in action by ‘random shellfire’ during the battle of Passchendaele, Belgium in November 1917.

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