Garfield Sobers's 6 Sixes bat, Sir Garfield Sobers 1968, a… - Sporting Memorabilia - Leski Auctions Pty. Ltd.

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Description:

Garfield Sobers's 6 Sixes bat, Sir Garfield Sobers 1968, a 'Garfield Sobers' short handle, four-star bat by Slazenger of London, the foot of the blade with typed label 'With this bat Garfield Sobers hit his world record of 6 sixes in one over for Nottinghamshire V Glamorgan at Swansea, 31 August 19681. Perhaps international Cricket's most iconic bat, the best description of this amazing feat comes from Chris broad and Daniel Waddell's...And Welcome to the highlights. 61 years of BBC television cricket... 'One of the most remarkable televised moments ever recorded in 1968, though only BBC viewers in Wales were able to witness it, when Gary Sobers hit six sixes in an over for Nottinghamshire against Glamorgan at Swansea. It was a phenomenal piece of hitting, described by Tony Lewis, the Glamorgan Captain, as 'Not sheer slogging through strength, but with scientific hitting with every movement working in harmony'. Try telling that to poor Malcolm Nash, the unfortunate bowler on the receiving end of the great all-rounder's assault. At least he had the consolation of his name going down in the record books and will be remembered for perpetuity. The crowd at Swansea realised what they were seeing and abandoned their support for their home side to cheer on Sobers. When the fifth ball was caught on the boundary edge and there was some doubt as to whether the fielder carried it over for six or not, they urged the Umpire to raise his arms in the air and not his index finger. The BBC Wales commentator became increasingly carried away with what he was seeing, or not as the case May be when he cried out, 'Where's my glasses1 'Somebody's pinched my glasses' after that debated fifth was struck. Andrew Hignell, in the history of the Glamorgan County cricket club, retells the amazing events of that late August day. The first two balls disappeared over the heads of the mid-wicket fielders and into the crowd sitting in the stands in front of the Cricketer's Inn. Nash pushed his third delivery a little wider into the offside, but Sobers went down and drove into the pavilion enclosure beyond the long-off boundary. Nash tried another variation by dropping the fourth ball a little shorter but Sobers rocked on his back foot, and pulled it high over the scoreboard. The young bowler was not disconcerted, even if the fielders seemed to be spreading further and further out, and he put the next delivery on a good length on the off-stump. Sobers for once May have made a mistake and the ball travelled straight to Roger Davis on the long-off boundary. He caught it, but in doing so fell over the ropes, and after a consultation between the umpires, another six was signalled. By now the crowd and players alike were aware that the great West Indian all-rounder was on the verge of becoming the first player to hit six sixes in an over. As Nash regathered the ball and pondered on where to put the last delivery, Eifion Jones (the Glamorgan keeper) jokingly said to Sobers 'Bet you can't hit this one for six as well'. The West Indian simply turned around and grinned, took guard and dispatched the ball like a rocket out of the ground and down St. Helen's Avenue. So hard did Sobers hit it, that the ball was not found until the next day. The bat was displayed for many years at Nottinghamshire cricket club until 2000, when it was offered for sale at Christies Auctions, Melbourne, lot 480 in their sale of October 4th, 2000. It sold for $135,000. It is now offered for sale for only the second time. [The description, above, reproduces the original catalogue entry.], all 6 sixes can be viewed on Youtube

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Unclassified