Cricket fans will have the opportunity to bid for treasures of Trent Bridge ahead of the Investec Ashes Test Series in July.

Cricket’s most prestigious contest begins in Nottinghamshire on Wednesday July 10th and a truly unique cricket memorabilia auction, hosted by John Pye & Sons during a pre-test dinner at Trent Bridge on Monday 8 July, will add to the anticipation of the contest.

The star lot is an exclusive opportunity to ring the five minute bell ahead of the first day of play. The symbolic sound is long established as the call for the crowd to take their seats and the players to enter the field of play.

"It is an emotive sport steeped in tradition and as such one can argue that these lots really are priceless." Adam Pye

Also under the hammer are the scoreboard slats for England & Australia which have presided over every Trent Bridge hosted Australian international competition since 1973. Fierce bidding is anticipated for these pieces of cricketing history and Australian opener Ed Cowan has already placed a bid that signals his intent to return the Australia slat to his homeland, an act sure to spark competitive bidding over the coming weeks.

Scoreboard name slats assigned to Chris & Stuart Broad and David & Mike Hussey are also open to bids along with the Stuart Broad panel of the official Trent Bridge Ashes Mural which will be displayed in the grounds through out the international event.

Generously donated by Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club, all funds raised from the auction will go to the Trent Bridge Community Trust which works to support young people at risk of social exclusion.

In an effort to boost funds as much as possible, the auction will run online as a public silent auction, in the lead up to the Invetec Ashes Dinner, a black tie event hosted by cricket pundits and former international players David Lloyd, Glen McGragh and Jonathan Agnew. Bids accrued online will act as commission bids to the live auction taking place at the prestigious Dinner, sponsored by John Pye & Sons.

Adam Pye, MD at John Pye & Sons said "This is a truly unique auction and these lots symbolise prominent areas of cricketing history. It is an emotive sport steeped in tradition and as such one can argue that these lots really are priceless.

"Initially we had planned to hold a live auction only, at the Invetec Ashes Dinner which we are sponsoring. However, due to the unique nature of the items, we thought it only fair to offer the opportunity to the general public also."

The online silent auction starts today at johnpye.co.uk and will run until 6pm, on Monday July 8th, a few hours before the commencement of the Dinner. Lots are located at Trent Bridge and there is an opportunity to view in the main Pavilion between 3-5pm on Wednesday July 3rd.

Tickets for the Investec Ashes Dinner at Trent Bridge remain on sale priced £102.