Catalogue for the auction of
Cricket, Football, Golf & Sporting Memorabilia
Held on Friday, Saturday & Sunday
21st, 22nd & 23rd March 2025
Lot 821
Estimate: £4000/6000
Hammer: unsold
‘The Auckland Cricketers’ Trip to the South. A complete history of the late successful tour of the Auckland representatives to Christchurch, Dunedin, Wellington and Nelson’. W.F. Buckland [See update below]. Auckland, New Zealand. E.Wayte, Bookseller, Queen Street. Printed by Reed and Brett. 1874. 8vo, pp(3),4-58 and eight advertising pages with buff printed paper wrappers. The covers have faded from the original pink and are a little spotted, small portions are missing from the edges of the wrappers which have been conserved. The whole carefully conserved and boxed by Bayntuns of Bath. With the ownership signature of T.W.Reese, New Zealand cricket historian to front wrapper, title page and to the first page of the book, and another signature, which looks like Buckland’s. Light vertical fold otherwise in good condition for its age and rarity. Padwick II 2345. Franks 686. Probably the rarest New Zealand cricket publication
New Zealand historian Rob Franks includes this as number three in his list of the thirty earliest New Zealand cricket publications, preceded only by two editions of the rules of the Dunedin Cricket Club. This is therefore the first publication in New Zealand to describe cricket. Franks, in the preparation of his bibliography of New Zealand cricket, had discovered only two copies of this work, both in New Zealand libraries. One was complete, and collated as this copy, with eight pages of advertisements at the rear. The other was lacking covers and advertising pages. This is therefore extremely rare, and an important survival, the only copy outside New Zealand, and the only copy likely to appear for sale. The author is anonymous, but it is fairly clear that the author of the two following reports of Auckland cricketers in the south, published in 1883 and 1885 (sold in the previous Knights auction), was W.F.Buckland, who also arranged this tour, and played in the matches. On the title-page of this book is a bold pencil signature, which appears to be Buckland. I do not think it is too much of a stretch to assign the authorship of this to Buckland, and to assert that this is a signed copy. Tom Reese, whose signature is also on the title-page, was born in 1867 and played for Canterbury from 1887. It is perfectly possible that he, as a keen 17 year-old cricketer, met Buckland on the last of his trips south in 1884.
The tour was a great success, with Auckland winning all four matches, against Canterbury, Otago, Wellington, and Nelson. Scores of all the matches are in this book, and are also in Reese’s ‘New Zealand Cricket 1841-1914’.
Update: Information has been received directly from the historian, Robert Franks, confirming that the author of this title was actually Alfred King who was a member of the touring party and was chief reporter for the ‘Auckland Star’ at the time. This copy was presumably presented to Buckland who was the organiser of the tour.
The tour was a great success, with Auckland winning all four matches, against Canterbury, Otago, Wellington, and Nelson. Scores of all the matches are in this book, and are also in Reese’s ‘New Zealand Cricket 1841-1914’.
Update: Information has been received directly from the historian, Robert Franks, confirming that the author of this title was actually Alfred King who was a member of the touring party and was chief reporter for the ‘Auckland Star’ at the time. This copy was presumably presented to Buckland who was the organiser of the tour.