An 18-year-old from Enstone was bowled over to learn a cricket stump from the Ashes Test Series he bought on eBay will be auctioned for thousands of pounds.

Sean Stevens with the valuable cricket stump

Sean Stevens, a computer repairman, paid £97 for a stump used in England's Fourth Test victory against Australia at Trent Bridge, Nottingham.

It was sold on the Internet auction site by a groundsman who wanted beer money for his holiday in Ibiza.

Following the country's success in winning the Ashes, Mr Stevens contacted Bonhams auction house and discovered he could sell the stump -- which comes with a certificate of authenticity from Trent Bridge -- with bids starting at £1,000.

He said: "I was thrilled, I was jumping around.

"I had tickets for the Fifth Test and watched England win the series, so it was a double celebration.

"I don't think if England had lost it would be worth much, but I just had this gut instinct we would win. We were 2-1 up and Australia weren't playing very well. Everyone was geared up for us to win.

"I was prepared to offer £125 for the stump but the bidding only got pushed up to £97. I guess no-one else realised the value."

He contacted all the major auction houses, but only Bonhams said the stump was worth selling.

"I would like to keep it, but £1,000 is a lot of money for an 18-year-old," said Mr Stevens. "I'm learning to drive. I have an old Fiesta but maybe I could get a better car now. I wouldn't mind a Ferrari," he joked.

He also hopes to make enough to watch his football team, Bolton, play in Europe.

The groundsman heard about how much the stump was now worth and emailed Mr Stevens saying he had "no hard feelings" and that he was glad it had worked out well for both of them.

Michael Wynell-Mayrow, regional director of Bonhams, said: "The fact that he was able to buy this on eBay is amazing.

"We are delighted to be handling the sale. It's a very rare piece of memorabilia from the best Ashes Test Series in modern history.

"The number of young people who have been captivated and interested has widened the cricketing audience.

"We have a specialist sports department, we can bring our expertise and get the sale publicity it wouldn't get on eBay.

"The fact that England won the series makes all the difference. I think if Australia had won, the spirit of the nation would be too deflated to get excited about the stump.

"We're expecting the interest to be huge."

The stump will be sold at Bonhams's sale rooms in Chester on Wednesday, November 2.