The bat was used by Bradman when he scored 304 in Leeds and again when he scored 244 at The Oval against England in 1934
The bat used by Don Bradman when he scored a triple century against England during the 1934 Ashes has sold at auction for almost $250,000 AUD (approximately £134,500).
Bought by an unnamed buyer at a private sale, the bat will likely remain at the International Cricket Hall of Fame in Bowral where it has been on display for the past two decades.
The William Sykes & Son 'Don Bradman' bat was used by the Australian during the 1934 Ashes tour of England.
"This is the bat with which I scored 304 at Leeds and 244 at The Oval against England, 1934," reads the inscription on the bat.
Bradman with an earlier version of his William Sykes & Son bat; batting at Leeds four years later in 1938 [Fox Photos/Getty Images]
Speaking to the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, Rina Hore of the ICHF said: "For us to be able to continue to display it shows we’ve really built the museum up into being an institution that can care for such a treasured item. It’s a really significant bat for Australian cricket."
Bradman’s 304 in Leeds was the second-highest score of his Test career, surpassed only by a knock of 334 against England at the same ground in 1930.
His 451-run partnership with Bill Ponsford at The Oval, meanwhile, remains the fourth-highest partnership in Test cricket and the second-highest second-wicket partnership behind Sri Lanka’s Sanath Jayasuriya and Roshan Mahanama, who scored 576 runs against India in 1997.
Bradman unsurprisingly finished the 1934 Ashes as the leading run-scorer, scoring 758 runs at an average of 94.75 in eight innings. Australia won the series 2-1.
Posted by Ricky Gunn on 14/12/2021 at 20:36
... but was second in the Test averages to Bill Ponsford, 569 at 94.83.