A CRICKET bat unused since 1939 is one of many fascinating features in an exhibition celebrating the sport's history in a West Oxfordshire village.

Bampton Library's Vesey Room is currently home to a huge collection of memorabilia telling the tales of 140 years of cricket in the area.

Cricket in Bampton includes everything from photographs of teams of yesteryear to first-hand accounts from those who played the game.

The impressive display is all thanks to Anna Pitt, welfare officer at Bampton-in-the-Bush Cricket Club, for whom husband Richard is the chairman and former captain.

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The writer has published a book on cricket in Bampton and carried out hours of research, but admits the project combined two of her passions.

She said: "Cricket is a big part of mine and Richard's lives.

"When I started researching I found so many old photographs and I became more and more interested."

The 52-year-old began looking into the sport's history in the village after the cricket club celebrated its 10th anniversary of moving to Bampton recreation ground in 2017.

Bampton Community Archive, which helped co-ordinate the exhibition, were also keen for a sporting display.

It opened last Monday and last week saw a private viewing for members of the archive and an event for those connected with cricket in the village.

Among the scorecards, trophies and honours boards is the bat of Godfrey Horne, who provides arguably the exhibition's most poignant tale.

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In the mid-1930s, Mr Horne was the only cricketer in Bampton to have his own bat, which he obtained by collecting newspaper tokens.

He was posted to France after D-Day but lost his life in the battle for Montchamp in Normandy in August 1944.

His mother kept the bat and gave it to Godfrey's younger brother, Pip, but did not allow anyone to play with it.

Pip passed it onto a childhood friend, Vernon Cannons, who also could not bring himself to let anyone use it.

Mr Cannons has given it a coat of linseed oil every few years, while also replacing the grip when it perished.

The bat has remained unused ever since.

Cricket in Bampton runs until February 28. It is free and open Monday to Sunday from 10.30am to 12.30pm and 2pm until 4pm.