Wally Hammond's regalia for sale

This masonic regalia once belonged to Wally Hammond, the great England cricketer - one of the best batsmen the game has seen.

The leather bag is labelled "Bro W R Hammond - Charity Lodge" the number looks like 4105, but the picture is poor.

The regalia, described by the auction house as "ceremonial sash and red strapping", is coming up for sale next month. The estimate is 150 pounds.

This from Wikipedia "Walter Reginald Hammond, known as Wally Hammond (19 June 1903 – 1 July 1965), was an English Test cricketer, who played for Gloucestershire in a career lasting from 1920 to 1951. Beginning his career as a professional, he later became an amateur and was appointed captain of England. Primarily a middle-order batsman, Wisden Cricketers' Almanack described him in his obituary as one of the four best batsmen in the history of cricket. He was considered to be the best English batsman of the 1930s by commentators and those with whom he played; they also said that he was one of the best slip fielders there had been. Hammond bowled at fast-medium pace and contemporaries believed that if he had been a less reluctant bowler, he could have achieved even more with the ball than he did. In a Test career spanning 85 matches, he scored 7,249 runs and took 83 wickets. Hammond captained England in 20 of these Tests winning four, losing three and drawing 13. His career aggregate of runs was the highest in Test cricket until surpassed by Colin Cowdrey in 1970. As of January 2010, his total of 22 Test centuries remains an English record, held jointly with Cowdrey and Geoffrey Boycott. In 1933, he set a record for the highest individual Test innings of 336 not out, surpassed by Len Hutton in 1938. In all first-class cricket, he scored 50,551 runs, the seventh highest total scored by any first-class cricketer as of January 2010, and took 732 wickets. He scored 167 first-class centuries, the third highest of any player as of January 2010. "

The sale is at Sporting Memorys in Warwickshrie on August 5.

The Perfect Handshake

From the Daily Mail

It has been traditional greeting, a symbol of peace and a key part of business deals for thousands of years.

But today scientists announced that they have created a formula for the perfect handshake after it was revealed that seven in ten Britons are nervous about getting it wrong.

More than two-thirds (70 per cent) of people said they lacked confidence when it came to performing the gesture, according to a survey for Chevrolet.

A handshake is an ancient method of showing friendship and signalling agreement but many Brits are unsure of how to do it.

Staff at the car firm will be instructed on the ideal technique with a five-step process and given the mathematical formula in a new handshake training guide.

On average people will shake hands 15,000 times in a lifetime.

How to do the perfect handshake:

Use right hand, a complete grip and a firm squeeze (but not too strong)
Ensure fingers are under the receiving palm

Position hand in a mid-point position between yourself and the other person

A cool and dry palm, approximately three shakes, with a medium level of vigour

Hold for no longer than two to three seconds

Keep eye contact throughout

Accompany with a good natural smile and an appropriate accompanying verbal statement

But the poll found nearly one in five (19 per cent) hated the act and were unsure how to do it properly.

The biggest problems were sweaty palms, limp wrist, gripping too hard and lack of eye contact.
Professor Geoffrey Beattie, head of psychological sciences at the University of Manchester, devised the equation taking into account 12 key measures - such as vigour, eye contact, hand temperature, positioning and length - needed to convey respect and trust to the recipient.

He said: 'The human handshake is one of the most crucial elements of impression formation and is used as a source of information for making a judgment about another person.

'A handshake reveals aspects of the personality of the person giving it - for example, a soft handshake can indicate insecurity, whilst a quick-to-let-go handshake can suggest arrogance - so it is surprising that up until now there has not been a guide showing people how they should shake hands.'

A third of women - 32 per cent - never shake hands while only six per cent of men avoid the gesture entirely.

Over half of men - 57 per cent -s ay they enjoy the experience compared to only 29 per cent of women. Hygiene-conscious women hate having to hold sweaty palms with exactly half identifying it as the biggest turn-off.

Only 32 per cent of men agreed with 42 per cent deeming a loose, limp-wristed grip a worse technique.

Les Turton, from Chevrolet, added: 'It is easy to overlook everyday rituals, but as the handshake is used to complete agreements it is important our staff are well trained so they can pass on trust and reassurance to our customers.'

100-year-old watch fob

This watch fob - which is 100 years old - is being offered for sale in the US by Universal Live. Worth about £50 it was seemingly made for the Banner Blue Lodge No. 924 in Chicago.

Cartoon

This cartoon is coming up for sale at Vennet-Smith auctions in Nottingham on July 14. It is estimated to for about £60.