A RARE 106-year-old England football cap won by Bob Crompton, regarded as one of Blackburn Rovers’ greatest-ever players, has sold for £1,750 at auction. That was nearly double the sum the purple velvet 1907 cap presented to Mr Crompton had been expected to fetch.

Before Wednesday’s auction at Bonhams in Chester, it was thought the cap would sell for between £800 and £1,000.

At the same sale, a rare and possibly unique collection of autographed 1992-1993 Premier League shirts — including a Blackburn Rover top — sold for £18,750 which works out at £852 per shirt.

The shirts are particularly valuable because they are from the first season of the Premier League and feature the signatures of more than 400 footballers who took part in that historic, inaugural campaign.

The short-sleeved blue and white Blackburn shirt is signed by 18 Rovers stars.

The shirts were sold by Peter Ellis who was chairman of Queens Park Rangers in 1992-1993.