Former Kiwi player’s stolen cap found on auction website
May 6, 2016 at 1:35 PM
Retired New Zealand cricketer Chris Harris has finally found his stolen debut test cap after it was put up for sale on an auction website.
The former all-rounder lost his cap when his house was burgled about a decade ago.Harris,who played 23 Tests and 250 one-day internationals for New Zealand in a 14-year career at the top, admitted that he had lost hope of ever seeing the precious item again.
But fortunately for the cricketer, his cap appeared on New Zealand auction website ‘Trade Me’. Harris receives a lot of calls afterwards informing him about the issue.
The cap was presented in a wooden box alongside two cricket balls, with a plate on the box reading ‘CZ Harris, No 181, NEW ZEALAND vs SRI LANKA 1992/93’.
The highest bidder had offered $1310 for the item, but it was removed from the website by the seller on Thursday. Harris then contacted Trade Me and the item has been returned to its rightful owner.
“Our house was burgled years ago and I reported it stolen at the time, this would have been about 10 years ago,” Harris told stuff.co.nz. “It was one of the bizarre things that was stolen that day, it was pretty personal as it had my name on it too.
“I’ve had a few calls about it since the item was listed and after the story and Trade Me have been brilliant, they’ve got it back to me. I’m pretty rapt about it.”
The details about the cap seller is still not clear.Trade Me spokesman Paul Ford said the site’s trust and safety unit had asked the seller why the item was removed after the bidding had started.
“He told us he was had pulled it as he was a little unclear about its provenance (ownership),” Ford said. Ford said Trade Me worked with police if there are any concerns about a stolen item being listed.