Custom Bats Cricket Forum
Equipment => Your Kit => Topic started by: Chalkie on December 16, 2016, 08:36:48 PM
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So another interesting purchase. It is a vintage stick but won't show the stickers just yet as would like some advice first - although some eagle eyed forumites may have seen it on a popular selling site recently.
The blade has been taped up under the stickers, a cryptic title of "Almost made it" written on the face, and then 14 signatures below. I can make out several names but the only one that rang a bell was D.J Capel (im assuming it is the ex-England player). I have looked up a couple of the others on google but can't find out much, other than Liam Crilly was a 2s county player.
Pic of the signatures
(http://i1341.photobucket.com/albums/o744/alasdairwhite/IMG_1272_zpscv3wieog.jpeg) (http://s1341.photobucket.com/user/alasdairwhite/media/IMG_1272_zpscv3wieog.jpeg.html)
There is also some writing on the back that looks like it says 'best wishes' with a signature underneath, it can't make out the name though.
(http://i1341.photobucket.com/albums/o744/alasdairwhite/752a9fd5-a884-455f-9089-a6b04bde58cf_zpsjxypbttb.jpg) (http://s1341.photobucket.com/user/alasdairwhite/media/752a9fd5-a884-455f-9089-a6b04bde58cf_zpsjxypbttb.jpg.html)
Finally there is a very faint signature that looks like Graham Gooch on the back, and it came in a display case. So this bat may well have an interesting history.
So does anyone recognise any of the signatures, and secondly do you think it is worth keeping them, or carefully stripping off the tape to enable me to clean up the willow underneath and restore the bat to more how it should look? Or do you think the tape and signatures add interest? It is worth noting it has been used quite a bit and it looks like there is some damage under the tape so may have some missing or loose willow.
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Crikey! The stickers must be good!
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Is that a turbo sticker I see some bat in there day
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Is that a turbo sticker I see some bat in there day
Well spotted Simon, it is indeed an SS Turbo Grand Prix. It appears to be laminated, has the toe insert and weighs in at a hefty 3lb 1oz!
Not sure on the grading of these, but it has 5 stars on the main sticker, and then under the Gooch signature sticker (partially hidden by the fibreglass tape), it says Test Selection.
(http://i1341.photobucket.com/albums/o744/alasdairwhite/IMG_1270_zpsvurafhjt.png) (http://s1341.photobucket.com/user/alasdairwhite/media/IMG_1270_zpsvurafhjt.png.html)
(http://i1341.photobucket.com/albums/o744/alasdairwhite/IMG_1275_zpsr9xwr07p.jpg) (http://s1341.photobucket.com/user/alasdairwhite/media/IMG_1275_zpsr9xwr07p.jpg.html)
(http://i1341.photobucket.com/albums/o744/alasdairwhite/IMG_1279_zpsfv4yamle.jpg) (http://s1341.photobucket.com/user/alasdairwhite/media/IMG_1279_zpsfv4yamle.jpg.html)
Faded Gooch signature (looks just like the facsimile on on the sticker)?
(http://i1341.photobucket.com/albums/o744/alasdairwhite/IMG_1277_zpscm4fb4xb.jpg) (http://s1341.photobucket.com/user/alasdairwhite/media/IMG_1277_zpscm4fb4xb.jpg.html)
Despite almost 200 views it looks like no one has a clue on the names, or doesn’t have an opinion on what to do with them?
@tim2000s as the resident vintage specialist I would welcome your thoughts on whether I should leave it as it is or remove the tape to reveal the willow?
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I'd leave them till you can find out more about it
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I'd leave them till you can find out more about it
Made out about 5 names then had a look for around an hour last night to try and link them to countiy players in the past failed miserably to make any links apart from capel .
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So you are keeping signatures of people no-one's heard of?
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Made out about 5 names then had a look for around an hour last night to try and link them to countiy players in the past failed miserably to make any links apart from capel .
Thanks for trying mate.
So you are keeping signatures of people no-one's heard of?
Haven't decided yet, that's the point of the thread.
Someone went to the effort of putting it in a presentation case, and it does have Goochies signature on the back, so I'm sure the bat has an interesting story to tell, but cant find anything online, hence the request for help here.
Don't suppose anyone knows how I can get in touch with either Gooch or Capel?
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David Capel coaches the women's international team in Bangladesh, I think.
It seems unlikely that Gooch will remember signing an individual bat out of the many thousand he will have signed during his career. But wasn't he working as a batting coach with Warwickshire last year?
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I thought I vaguely recognised a couple of names on the bat face, but for the life of me can find no evidence of them through google. I think it may be a club cricket thing rather than anything first class, but I'd still try and find a little more about the provenance before removing the tape.
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Thanks Tim, would love to find out more about the bat, but can't find any leads. Think David Capel may be the key - if I could ask him if it is his signature then that would help a lot, but he doesn't seem to have a twitter account and can't find any other contact route.
Anyone got any ideas?
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Don't know if it's any help with the d capel signature on the bat but the Northants cricketer was call David John capel
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Don't know if it's any help with the d capel signature on the bat but the Northants cricketer was call David John capel
I think we'd estabished that. Capel played for England, so was a bit more than 'nearly made it'. Prior to turning pro he played club cricket for Roade. I don't know if that helps?
Signatures of unknown people tend not to be worth much!
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I'd say that you can probably take that Capel signature as being a bit of a red herring, based on these:
(http://thumbs3.picclick.com/d/l400/pict/112158385694_/David-Capel-cricket-signed-Northants-England.jpg)
http://www.ebay.ie/itm/David-CAPEL-England-Cricket-Cricketer-ORIGINAL-Hand-Signed-Photo-/200992399809?hash=item2ecc14a1c1:g:398AAOxyRNJSkL-w (http://www.ebay.ie/itm/David-CAPEL-England-Cricket-Cricketer-ORIGINAL-Hand-Signed-Photo-/200992399809?hash=item2ecc14a1c1:g:398AAOxyRNJSkL-w)
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Thanks Tim. The proper ones you found look nothing like the one I have, so I now have a refurb project, which is fine by me as I didn't buy it for the signatures, they were just a potentially interesting feature.
As Bats puts it so eloquently -
Signatures of unknown people tend not to be worth much!
Think I will try and carefully remove just the tape on the back first and see how that goes before try the front.
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Carefully removed the tape from the back and found this signature. I don't recognise it, does anyone?
(http://i1341.photobucket.com/albums/o744/alasdairwhite/IMG_1324_zpslkyfgsoe.jpg) (http://s1341.photobucket.com/user/alasdairwhite/media/IMG_1324_zpslkyfgsoe.jpg.html)
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Possibly sometime Worcestershire player, Barry Jones. Although his county career (1976 - 1980) pre-dates Surridge Turbos by quite a few years.