Catalogue for the auction of
Cricket, Football, Golf & Sporting Memorabilia

South African tour of England 1894. ‘Earl of Sheffield’s XI v South Africa 1894’. Excellent original folding menu card for the Luncheon given by Lord Sheffield on the 22nd May 1894 during the match played at Sheffield Park, Uckfield from the 22nd to the 23rd May 1894. The highly decorative and colourful menu with front cover, with titles and dates, featuring a scene of Sheffield Park House and Grounds and Lord Sheffield’s cricket emblem with decorative borders, the rear cover with raised South African Cape emblem to centre in shield with crossed bats, cricket stumps and ball to corners. To inside pages, equally decorative, are the menu and wine list to the right and to the left a listing of the players, both the South African and Earl of Sheffield’s elevens, umpires and scorers with cricket themed borders of cricket bats, cricket bags, balls, stumps etc. Gilt to all edges. Players include Castens (Cpt), Halliwell, Sewell, Kempis, Hearne, Briggs, Newham, Brann, Somerset, Blackman, Humphreys etc. The umpires were R. Carpenter and R.Thoms. The menu printed by John Beal & Son and E. Booth & Sons were the caterers. This appears to be A.F. Somerset’s (Sussex) menu and has his name in pencil to inside board. The menu has split at the fold, probably due to the thick card used for the menu, which has been joined with clear tape, some wear and soiling, pin hole to the top border of the back cover and nicks to the menu side edge otherwise in good condition. A rare, decorative and exquisite item of ephemera from this early South African tour