'Close of Play'

‘Rare Cricket Letters and Photographs. Ex-Neville Weston 1938’. Half morocco leather green scrapbook compiled by Weston on the collector Charles Pratt Green. This album appears to have been one of Weston’s scrapbooks with the binding put on by a later owner. Weston has handwritten a very short biography of Pratt Green to the front end paper and dated this 1949. This is followed by a list of photographs which have been given by Pratt Green, which will be found in the album. This is headed ‘Photographs etc presented to me July 23rd 1938. Sadly some of the photographs listed are no longer in the album, but others have been added. The album contains twelve letters from Pratt Green, with copy replies from Weston. Also included is a copy of Pratt Greens privately printed booklet on Malvern ‘Memory’s Harkback 1852-1940’, with notes of the Malvern of seventy years ago including pieces on his bat collection, Ashley Cooper and Shelton. There are several handwritten postcards and letters from Ashley Cooper and from A.W. Shelton, a letter from J.N. Pentelow, three letters and a postcards from H.K. Foster (Worcestershire 1899-1925), two from F.S. Jackson (Yorkshire & England) and one from Monty Noble of Australia. The letter from Noble dated 1905, refers to a request for a cricket bat from Green, There is a signed photograph of Tiger Smith, and some photographs of Pratt Green in old age. There are ten laid down cabinet cards, with three signed of William Gunn (Foster), Ashley Cooper and Henry Luff (Hawkins), (Proprietor of Wisden), the unsigned cards are of Richard Daft, P.F. Warner (Fry’s), J.H. Broad, Charles Absolon (Latter), Thomas Padwick, The Australians of 1888 (London Stereoscopic & Photographic Company Ltd of London and an image of MacLaren’s 228 bat (Ayling) There is also an early small photograph of Trent Bridge with both cricket and a football match being played simultaneously with different crowds watching each. Odd faults otherwise in good condition