Beschreibung:

Extremely rare post match menu for the dinner in honour of the New Zealand team at The Hotel Metropole, London, Saturday 4th January 1936 , autographed in pencil to the decorative front cover by man of the match on England debut Prince Alexander Obolensky, England captain Bernard Gadney, New Zealand captain Jack Manchester, former 1906 South African captain Paul Roos and former England captain John Greenwood Also signed by England forwards, Weston, Dunkley and Hamilton-Hill as well as New Zealand reserve players Page and Adkins. This menu is from the collection of former England Rugby captain John Greenwood Prince Alexander Sergeevich Obolensky 17 February 1916 - 29 March 1940 was a Rurikid prince of Russian origin who became a naturalised Briton, having spent most of his life in England, and who went on to represent England in International Rugby Union. He was, and is, popularly known as "The Flying Prince", "The Flying Slav", or simply as "Obo" by many sports fans. He played for Leicester Football Club between 1934 and 1939, as well as Rosslyn Park F.C. His selection for England caused a stir because he was not a British citizen, but he gained British Citizenship in 1936. On 4 January 1936 he scored two tries on his England debut in a 13-0 victory over the All Blacks, the first time England had beaten New Zealand. Aided by Pathé News footage of the game, his name has entered into legend, since the first try, beating several 'All Blacks' in a run of three-quarters of the length of the field, was widely regarded as the greatest try of the time, and one of the greatest tries ever scored by England. On 29 March 1940, a day after being recalled to the England squad to play Wales, Pilot Officer Obolensky was killed during training when his Hawker Hurricane Mark 1 crashed on Martlesham Heath, Suffolk, he was only 24 years of age.