10:59am Tuesday 7th September 2010
NANTWICH auctioneer Peter Wilson is to sell cues endorsed by snooker greats.
Harry Sandland was a sporting all-rounder, but he was best known as perhaps the best snooker player in Nantwich.
It helped having his own billiards hall in the town, which he created in a converted mill off the town’s Square.
He was also an inveterate collector of snooker cues and now all 150 of them are for sale.
They will go under hammer at fine art and antiques auctioneer Peter Wilson on Thursday September 16.
Nantwich born and bred, Mr Sandland, who died in 1998 aged 89, hit on the idea for a billiards hall which he opened in 1944.
His son Don said: “It was his way of keeping the kids off the streets and it worked a treat.
"Some of the cues were for players using the 14 tables in the billiards hall, but he kept all the good ones at his home in Riverside.
“He loved the game and was the best player in Nantwich.
"He loved all sports – football, cricket, swimming – but snooker was his first love. He was particular fond of the signed cues and really treasured them.”
Auctioneer Nick Allsopp – himself a 30-year veteran snooker player and league title winner in the Newport and Market Drayton League – said the cues will appeal to players at all levels and to collectors who follow the big names in the sport.
He said: "They are very practical and highly useable and in excellent condition.
"But there are many high quality examples with facsimile signature endorsements from such legendary players as Joe Davis, Steve Davis, John Parrot, Marco Fu, Stephen Maguire and Ronnie O’Sullivan, who’s currently ranked second in world snooker.
"The sale is a great chance to start a collection of your own.”
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