| LEGENDS OF CRICKET - BRADMAN, GRACE AND TRUMPER - FRAMED AND SIGNED
Limited Edition: 100 (No.s 14-94/100)
Framed Size: 870 x 740 (mm)
Signature: Personally signed by Sir Donald Bradman and reproductions of W.G. Grace and Victor Trumper
Certificate of Authenticity: Yes
The unique piece of memorabilia celebrates the careers of Dr W.G. Grace, Victor Trumper and Sir Donald Bradman AC and was produced to acknowledge Sir Donald Bradman's 10th year Anniversary since his passing in February, 2001.
The images of Grace, Trumper and Bradman have been painted by Mr. David Thomas (Archibald Prize Finalist) and is renowned for producing fine art depicting all codes of sport and is regarded as one of the best in his field.
All in all, you would be hard pressed to find such an historical collectable.
The wooden framing has been carefully selected to keep the feel of yesteryear and gives it a most desirable finish.
About Dr W.G. Grace
William Gilbert ("WG") Grace, MRCS, LRCP (born 18 July 1848 at Downend, near Bristol; died 23 October 1915 at Mottingham, Kent) was an English amateur cricketer who is widely acknowledged as one of the greatest players of all time, having a special significance in terms of his importance to the development of the sport. Universally known as "WG", his initials being a sobriquet, he played first-class cricket for a record-equalling 44 seasons, from 1865 to 1908, during which he captained England, Gloucestershire county Cricket Club, the Gentlemen, MCC, the United South of England Eleven and several other teams. He came from a cricketing family in which one of his elder brothers was EM Grace and his younger brother was Fred Grace; their joint appearance for England in 1880 was the first time three brothers played together in Test cricket.
Right-handed as both batsman and bowler, Grace dominated the sport during his career and left, through his technical innovations and enormous influence, a lasting legacy. An outstanding all-rounder, he excelled at all the essential skills of batting, bowling and fielding, but it is for his batting that he is most renowned as he is held to have invented modern batsmanship. An opening batsman, he was particularly noted for his mastery of all strokes and his level of expertise was said by contemporary reviewers to be unique. He generally captained the teams he played for at all levels because of his skill and tactical acumen.
Grace was a medical practitioner who qualified in 1879. Because of his profession, he was nominally an amateur cricketer but he is said to have made more money from his cricketing activities than any professional. He was an extremely competitive player and, although he was one of the most famous men in England, he was also one of the most controversial on account of his gamesmanship and his financial acumen.
He took part in other sports: he was a champion 440 yard hurdler as a young man and also played football for the Wanderers.
About Victor Trumper
Victor Thomas Trumper (2 November 1877 – 28 June 1915) was an Australian cricketer known as the most stylish and versatile batsman of the Golden Age of cricket, capable of playing match-winning innings on wet wickets his contemporaries found unplayable.
Trumper was named a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1903. In the 1963 edition of Wisden Cricketer’s Almanack, Trumper was selected by Neville Cardus as one of the Six Giants of the Wisden Century. This was a special commemorative selection requested by Wisden for its 100th edition. The other five players chosen were Sydney Barnes, Don Bradman, W G Grace, Jack Hobbs and Tom Richardson.
In 1981 he was honoured on a postage stamp issued by Australia Post depicting a cartoon image by Tony Rafty. In 1996 he was made one of the ten inaugural inductees into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame.
The Sydney Cricket Ground Trust announced on 12 June 2008 that the new grandstand on the old hill at the SCG was to be named in Trumper's honour. On 2 November 2008 the SCG Trust hosted the first 'Victor Trumper Day', a sporting and cultural retrospective organised by Sydney school teacher David Strange to honour the life of Trumper on the 131st anniversary of his birth.
On 30 September 2009, Victor Trumper was one of five new members announced as part of the growing class of the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame. On 4 January 2010, he was formally inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Trumper Park Oval in Paddington, New South Wales is also named in his honour, as is the Trumper Pavilion at Chatswood Oval.
Trumper was also a key figure in the foundation of rugby league in Australia.
About Sir Donald Bradman
Sir Donald George Bradman, AC (27 August 1908 – 25 February 2001), often referred to as "The Don", was an Australian cricketer, widely acknowledged as the greatest batsman of all time. Bradman's career Test batting average of 99.94 has been claimed to be statistically the greatest achievement in any major sport.
The story that the young Bradman practised alone with a cricket stump and a golf ball is part of Australian folklore. Bradman's meteoric rise from bush cricket to the Australian Test team took just over two years. Before his 22nd birthday, he had set many records for high scoring, some of which still stand, and became Australia's sporting idol at the height of the Great Depression.
During a 20-year playing career, Bradman consistently scored at a level that made him, in the words of former Australia captain Bill Woodfull, "worth three batsmen to Australia". A controversial set of tactics, known as Bodyline, was specifically devised by the England team to curb his scoring. As a captain and administrator Bradman was committed to attacking, entertaining cricket; he drew spectators in record numbers. He hated the constant adulation, however, and it affected how he dealt with others. The focus of attention on his individual performances strained relationships with some team-mates, administrators and journalists, who thought him aloof and wary.[5] Following an enforced hiatus, due to the Second World War, he made a dramatic comeback, captaining an Australian team known as "The Invincibles" on a record-breaking unbeaten tour of England.
A complex, highly driven man, not given to close personal relationships, Bradman retained a pre-eminent position in the game by acting as an administrator, selector and writer for three decades following his retirement. Even after he became reclusive in his declining years his opinion was highly sought, and his status as a national icon was still recognised—more than 50 years after his retirement as a Test player, in 2001, the Australian Prime Minister John Howard called him the "greatest living Australian". Bradman's image has appeared on postage stamps and coins, and he was the first living Australian to have a museum dedicated to his life. On the centenary of his birth, 27 August 2008, the Royal Australian Mint issued a $5 commemorative gold coin with his image.
On 19 November 2009, Sir Donald Bradman was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame. |
