On BBC TV’s Antiques Roadshow tomorrow, celebrity Worcester ceramics expert Henry Sandon delights in a viewer’s treasured possession, exactly 100 years old and of fascinating local significance.

It’s a Royal Worcester Loving Cup awarded as a coveted prize at the Worcester Corporation Sports held at Pitchcroft in June 1911 to celebrate the Corona-tion of George V.

Henry said: “I was obviously overjoyed when this superb item of Worcester significance turned up 100 years on at the Roadshow recording in the Great Hall of Birmingham University.”

The Loving Cup was awarded to noted racing cyclist Robert Rowe, of Halesowen, whose great niece Milly Sobell, of Northfield, Birmingham, brought it to the Antiques Roadshow.

After the recording, Henry contacted me at the Worcester News to ask if I would search the bound archives of the Berrow’s Worcester Journal in the hope of finding fuller details of the 1911 Coronation Sports at Pitchcroft and the award of Loving Cups as prizes.

He said: “I told the owner I would try to discover more details for her.”

My search through the Berrow’s Worcester Journal bound archive for 1911 soon resulted in me finding a very lengthy report of the Coronation Sports held on June 22. The Journal reported: “The excellent sports programme on Pitchcroft pro-ved popular, the day’s proceedings being watched by a vast concourse of people.

“The sports, which lasted for five hours, proved thoroughly interesting, and some excellent running, cycling and horse jumping was witnessed. This being the only sports meeting in the vicinity, there was a large entry, including noted athletes.

“The first prizes in all events were three-handled Royal Worcester Loving Cups, decorated in Royal Blue and Gold with two panels of Highland Sheep, painted by Harry Davis” (arguably the most famous and sought after of all the Worcester Porcelain pain-ters), “the third panel bearing the Worcester City Coat of Arms and the lettering Worcester Corporation Sports 1911.

“The second prizes were Loving Cups with two handles, decorated with a Royal Blue ground, richly gilded and with fruit subjects painted by Richard Sebright.”

According to Henry Sandon, Richard Sebright was Royal Worcester’s “finest painter of fruit”.

The report said: “The third prizes were Loving Cups with one handle and bearing at the front a painted group of old Worcester flowers by E Phillips.”

The detailed results show that in the final of the one-mile cycle handicap, Robert Rowe came second, being awarded the two-handled Loving Cup, seen and valued by Henry Sandon in tomorrow’s Antiques Roadshow.

The one-mile cycle race final was won “by inches” by FJ Bridges, of Birchfield Harriers, in a time of two minutes and 24 seconds.