Graham Onions has raised £1500 for the soldiers charity Help for Heroes after auctioning the bat with which he defied the South African attack twice and helped earn England a 1-1 Test series draw earlier this winter.

The Durham seamer agreed to donate the 2lb 7oz Woodworm which played such a leading role in denying South AFrica victory at Centurion and Cape Town, when he batted 23 balls and 11 balls respectively to save England from imminent defeat on both occasions.

The bat, which was auctioned by the Mail on Sunday, was won with a £1,000 bid with the newspaper donating a further £500 to the charity's funds.