Catalogue for the auction of
Cricket, Football & Sporting Memorabilia

England v West Indies 1966 and the ‘The Horlicks Awards’ sponsorship of the Test series. A collection of six official mono press photographs, each depicting the winner of the Batsman and Bowler of the Match awards, signed by the featured players and W.R. Bowden, Director of Horlicks Ltd., also a large signed team photograph, and accompanying official report. Players and signatures are Garry Sobers and Lance Gibbs for the 1st Test at Old Trafford (West Indies won by an innings and 40 runs), Garry Sobers and Ken Higgs for the 2nd Test at Lord’s (match drawn), two from the 3rd Test at Trent Bridge (West Indies won by 139 runs), both with award winners Seymour Nurse and Ken Higgs, one additionally with Wes Hall, the other also with Hall and Bowden, Garry Sobers being presented with the cheque by Bowden for winning both batting and bowling awards at the Headingley 4th Test (West Indies won by an innings and 55 runs), Sobers and Higgs with Bowden for the Batsman and Bowler of the Series awards following the 5th Test at The Oval (England won by an innings and 34 runs). All photographs, by Central Press Photos, each measures 7.75”x5.5”, laid to mount, overall 10”x8.75”. The large official mono photograph of the West Indies touring party seated and standing in rows wearing tour blazers measures 11.75”x9.75”, laid to official photographer’s mount with printed title and players’ names to margins, with handwritten dedication in ink above the title, ‘To Peter Brown with compliments’. Brown worked for Lexington International, the Public Relations subsidiary of J. Walter Thompson, who managed the sponsorship campaign. The mount is fully signed in ink by twenty one members of the touring party, some signatures faded but legible. Players’ signatures include Sobers, Hunte, Butcher, Nurse, Holford, Griffith, Allan etc. Framed and glazed, overall 18.75”x14.5”. The official report, prepared by Lexington International for their client, Horlicks Ltd., provides a summary of the effectiveness of the sponsorship programme, transcriptions of speeches given at the awards ceremony at The Surrey Tavern at the conclusion of the Test series on 22nd August, by Garry Sobers, Brian Close, Bowden and others, and details of communications with media outlets, arrangements for exclusive photographs of prize winners etc. Sold with a further, similar ‘Annual report January - December 1966’ and related press cuttings summarising all Horlicks promotional activities for the year, mostly non-sporting, but with reference to a ‘Horlicks v. J.W.T. Cricket Match- July 9th’, sponsorship of the Monte Carlo Rally, the Belgian/ Dutch Arctic Expedition etc. Also a similar document for 1965-66 prepared by the agency, J. Walter Thompson. A fascinating insight into the preparations and execution of a cricket sponsorship campaign of the 1960s. Very good condition.