Catalogue for the auction of
Cricket, Football & Sporting Memorabilia

‘Surry [sic] Triumphant: or The Kentish-Mens Defeat. A new ballad being a parody on Chevy-Chace’. John Duncombe. Printed for J. Johnson, London 1773. First edition. 24pp. Rebound in plain grey/ buff stiffened card boards with leather and gilt title label to front cover. Woodcut vignette to title page. The match, instigated by the Earl of Tankerville, took place at Bishopsbourne Paddock, the seat of Sir Horatio Mann, on 24 July 1773, for £2000. Page A2 gives the scores of the two innings, showing Surrey triumphant by 153 runs. The Rev. John Duncombe was curate of Sundridge, near Sevenoaks. Bookplate of J.W. Goldman laid down to inside front cover, with an extract from the catalogue of the specialist book sale held by Hodgson & Co., London, in June 1954. This title, lot 319, fetched £21/10/-. Padwick 2064. Small expert repairs to title page, age toning to early and final pages, otherwise an excellent copy with wide margins. A rare and very early cricket book. Allen described this poem as ‘a very clever exercise... about half the words in most of the 66 verses are the same as in the original Chevy-Chace ballad’. Accompanying the poem is an original copy of ‘The Gentleman’s Magazine for September 1773’. In the section titled ‘List of Books With Remarks’, pages 450-452 comprise a description of the poem and traces ‘stanza by stanza, the famous old song of Piercy and Douglas’, providing a comparison of the text of this parody with the original. The magazine disbound, lacking original wrappers, with modern staples, otherwise in very good condition. The two contained in a folder in brown cloth boards with ribbon tie, gilt/ leather title label to front cover. Minor wear to boards, otherwise in good condition.