On display in the third gallery are the boots of Sir Aubrey Smith, one of the most bizarre cricketers who have played for Sussex. Smith played for Sussex between 1882 and 1896, as a fast-medium bowler and went on to take 208 wickets in his 99 matches for the club. He has the distinction of having captained England in his one and only Test match – at Port Elizabeth, South Africa or the Cape Colony as it was in 1888. He was also captain of Sussex for three seasons . Having stayed on in South Africa in 1889 hoping to make his fortune in the newly established gold fields in the Transvaal, he caught pneumonia. He was pronounced dead by his doctor only to recover and read his obituary in the Graff-Reinet Advertiser. He returned to England and took up a career in acting eventually settling in Hollywood where he founded a cricket club.
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