GOING, going, gone . . . for about £17,000.That was the total a sports fan's lifelong collection of memorabilia fetched as it went under the hammer, attracting interest from all over the country.

GOING, going, gone . . . for about £17,000.

That was the total a sports fan's lifelong collection of memorabilia fetched as it went under the hammer, attracting interest from all over the country.

The collection of 10,000 programmes ranging from international fixtures to league, cup ties and amateur football, annuals and handbooks, photographs and other items was the pride and joy of Jim MacKenzie.

He reported on local soccer matches for The Evening Star and sister paper the Green Un for 25 years. He died earlier this year and the collection was sold by his family.

Felixstowe auctioneers and valuers Bannister and Co had been expecting the sale of the collection – divided into 400 lots – to make around £12,000.

But they were delighted with the final total at the auction, which was nearer £17,000.

A spokeswoman for Bannisters said: "It went really well and everyone was very pleased. It was a very busy day."

Auctioneer Alan Coy was kept on his toes as the bids came thick and fast from an army of avid programme collectors in the company's auction rooms in St Andrew's Road, accompanied by telephone bids from people from around the country, with many items fetching far more than anticipated.

Gems and rarities included a host of programmes from Ipswich Town's early league games, and those from the 1966 World Cup Final and many FA Cup finals, as well as tickets to the big occasions.

The collection also included cricket and tennis memorabilia, including a 1935 Davis Cup programme signed by the legendary Fred Perry.

Ipswich Town items of great interest included an Ipswich Hospital Cup clash with Aston Villa in 1939, the club's first game in the Southern League against Southend in 1938, and the last match before the war, September 2, 1939 when the town were facing their arch rivals – Norwich City.

FA Cup Final programmes include several from the 1950s such as the fabled Stanley Matthews final of '53 – Blackpool versus Bolton Wanderers – and as well as the 1966 World Cup Final progamme, there was also a "pirate" version made by someone to cash in on the big day.

Mr MacKenzie played as a centre-half for many years with Great Blakenham in the Premier Division of SIL, forerunner of the Ipswich and District League, and took up refereeing when his playing days were over. He took charge of games up to senior level from 1965 until 1979.