Reading Cricket Cub

Gray Nicolls is a leading name in the world of sports; they are well known for their high quality range of cricket equipment and have been in business now for just less than three centuries. Founded by H.J Gray in 1855, Gray Nicolls, or H.J Gray and Sons as it was originally called, initially began making rackets. They are based in East Sussex, UK, and formed a partnership in the 1940s with L.J Nicolls to begin making cricket bats, hence the new name of Gray Nicolls. Nicolls himself actually began his career in 1876 making bats.

Gray Nicolls cricket equipment is used by sportsmen and women worldwide. Famous names to have used these cricket equipment include Trevor Goddard, Richie Benaud and Frank Worrell. One of the reasons the company has continued to flourish over the years is because they are continually evolving and updating the technology they use to make their cricket bats; the shoulder less Superlite and the Steel Spring bats are of Gray Nicolls creation. In addition to this, in the 1970s Gray Nicolls set the trend of using coloured cricket bat labels, becoming the first cricket company to ever do this. Shortly after this, in 1974, they created the scoop bat. This was a revolution in the world of cricket bats, as it had a weight reducing scoop design, and following on from this the demand for their range of cricket equipment rapidly grew. Australia and New Zealand became large markets for their products, and a factory was opened in Melbourne to accommodate this growth in sales.

Today, the range of Gray Nicolls cricket equipment continues to grow and expand. They also offer repair work on their products if the retailer the products were bought from cannot help with the problem. One of their latest products for 2009 is the Xiphos bat, which has a chrome effect look and a unique groove design to enhance the balance and pick up of the bat.

With the amount of products offered from the company, many sportsmen and women decide to use these cricket equipment to further their skill and prowess in the sport. Likewise, parents of children or teenagers hoping to make a name for themselves in the field may choose to buy their offspring cricket equipment from the Gray Nicolls range, as it is well known to be of good quality and will last a long time, thus ensuring they have value for money. Buying these cricket equipment is very easy, as many high street and online retailers stock it due to it’s popularity and reliable reputation. However, it is very important to compare prices between different stockists, as these may differ from one to the other. Gray Nicolls do feature an online stockist list on their own website, which can be used as reference for anyone looking to buy from the Internet.

Gray Nicolls has come a long way since their rather humble beginnings, but their primary goal of producing high quality cricket equipment has not been diminished.

Established in 1973, Morrant Group Ltd is a family run business with over 35 years experience in mail order team sports equipment. Father, Daughter, Son and staff are working hard every day to ensure that our company achieves its aim. We sell a range of sports gear, including Gray Nicolls cricket equipment and other goods. Please visit our website at http://www.morrant.com.

There inevitably comes a time in our lives where we find ourselves wanting or needing to meet new people, whether for friendship or something more.

If you’re new to the Reading area, or simply looking to meet activity partners to share your hobbies and interests with, where do you go to find new friends?

Reading, situated on the banks of the River Thames, is the vibrant county town of Berkshire and is packed with bars, restaurants, sports clubs, museums and lovely outdoor spaces, offering plenty of opportunities for social gatherings and events and plenty of places to meet new people.

As home to some of the largest businesses in the IT industry and with its close proximity to London, Reading has a transient population with large numbers of people relocating here and wanting to meet people for social events and activities.

The Oracle Shopping Centre lies at the heart of Reading town centre and offers an amazing choice of places to eat alongside the Kennet & Avon canal, including the award-winning London Street Brasserie, LSQ2, Pizza Express, Giraffe, The Slug and Lettuce, Wagamama, Yo! Sushi, Strada, Cafe Rouge and the most recent addition, Jamie’s Italian, an authentic Italian family restaurant and the brainchild of celebrity chef Jamie Oliver.

Reading has a restaurant for every occasion – many of them located within a short walk of the town centre. However, venture a few miles to the south and you will find the only Michelin-starred restaurant in Reading, L’Ortolan, where a delightful culinary experience awaits you.

Whatever your taste, there is a plenty of choice for you and your new friends in Reading to relax over a bite to eat!

For movie fans, Reading Vue Cinema, also located at The Oracle, boasts 10 screens and seats 1,800 people. An easy night out for both groups of friends or a couple of mates.

Enjoy a drink at one of the Reading town centre bars and pubs including Revolution, The Walkabout, and the famous Purple Turtle bar on Gun Street, usually good for a bit of local celebrity spotting!

If you’re looking for a bit of culture in Reading, you won’t be disappointed.

The Hexagon stages a wide variety of music, theatre and comedy events and you’re sure to find something to suit your taste, classical music fans will be at home at Reading Concert Hall, located in the Town Hall Complex in Blagrave Street, and South Street Arts Centre presents a diverse range of performing arts from both professional and community groups.

During October, many venues throughout the town play host to acts who are participating in the Reading Comedy Festival, showcasing some of the very best comedy acts in the UK.

The annual Reading Festival is held in August and sees thousands of music fans making their way to the Richfield Avenue Thames-side site from all over the UK, Europe and further afield for the Bank Holiday weekend, come rain or shine!

If sport is your thing, the many parks and leisure centres across Reading borough offer a wide range of facilities. 5-a-side football pitches are available for hire at Prospect Park and Palmer Park Stadium, where you will also find an athletics stadium for both track and field events.

Caversham Lawn Tennis Club, Reading Cricket Club and Reading Hockey Club all provide opportunities to play your sport and meet new friends at the same time.

For golfers there is a choice of superb golf courses in and around Reading including Calcot Park Golf Club and Wokefield Park to the south and Reading Golf Club, Caversham Heath and The Club at Mapledurham to the north.

Gyms can be a great way to meet new people and there is certainly no shortage of health and fitness clubs in the Reading area. The Rivermead Leisure Centre on the banks of the River Thames at Caversham (recently refurbished with a full range of facilities including a state of the art gym, lagoon swimming pool, squash and badminton courts and a dance studio), Rivers Health and Fitness in Tilehurst, David Lloyd at Thames Valley Park and the recently re-launched Nuffield Health Fitness & Wellbeing (formerly Canons) at Green Park, are all conveniently situated for those wanting to work out before or after work.

Football and rugby fans are well catered for with the Madejski Stadium being home to both Reading FC and London Irish Rugby Club and Reading is also has a well-supported basketball team, the Reading Rockets, who play their home games at The Rivermead Leisure Complex.

With such a wide choice of things to do and places to go in Reading, wouldn’t it be nice to have some friends to go along with?

If you want to make new friends in the Reading area or find an activity buddy or sports partner to share your interests, SPIONEER takes social networking to another level – you can find and create events online and then meet up with new people in the real world. It’s free to join and free to use and is a fun way to find real people and real events in the Reading area. SPIONEER helps people find both single serving friends and lifetime friendships. Try us and see!

Jo Parker

Playing cricket is a great pastime that many people enjoy. If you are just getting into it then you may need to find some cheap cricket equipment. There are many different places that you can look for this equipment, which is just as well as there are a lot of items that you will need to get started.

There are many things that you may need when you first start out in cricket. Some of these include cricket whites and protective clothing. You may not need a helmet if you are over eighteen but when you are first learning to play they are good to own just in case. You will want to make sure that the items that you choose are good quality so that you do not have to keep buying the same equipment over and over again.

If you have your own set of whites then that would also be great. Many games will require that you have your own. Make sure that you get a good set because it can get rather cold during some parts of the year.

Borrowing cheap cricket equipment is also an alternative that can work. Many clubs have some available for rent. You do not know what condition these items are in, though, so it is best to get yourself is at least a good cricket bat. You may want to play a few games with borrowed bats initially so that you will know what you want and what you will need. Finding an appropriate cricket bat is very important and may take some time.

Once you have these important items you should look into getting good cricket batting pads so that you can protect your legs and you will be comfortable. You do not want to be playing when you are uncomfortable. It goes without saying that feeling discomfort will not help you to play better!

When you begin to get really serious you will want to buy a great pair of cricket shoes. You want to make sure that you are comfortable and that your feet do not end up hurting. The right shoes can really make all of the difference in the world of cricket. Hurt feet are not fun to play cricket with.

If you wish to invest in some great cheap cricket equipment you may want to start by looking online. There are many websites where you can get great deals and some where you can get gear that is slightly used. This is a great way to save money. You will love your cheap cricket equipment once you start really playing as long as you take your time and get the right things. Remember, sometimes it is worth paying a little bit more money to buy quality products so that they will last for years to come.

For those new to the game of cricket there may be quite some research involved in finding the right cheap cricket equipment. Good suppliers will be happy to answer any queries you might have and can usually help you to make informed decisions.

Established in 1973, Morrant Group Ltd is a family run business with over 35 years experience in mail order team sports equipment. Father, Daughter, Son and staff are working hard every day to ensure that our company achieves its aim. We sell a range of sports gear, including cheap cricket equipment and goods. Please visit our website at http://www.morrant.com.

There is a range of cricket ground equipment needed to play a successful game of cricket. The equipment used must fulfill specific requirements in regards to the rules and regulations of the game of cricket.

When setting up the cricket ground equipment the first few basic items required are the boundary and the sight screen. The boundary has 2 primary uses within cricket. Firstly the boundary is simply used to mark out the edge of the playing field, marking out the area of play. Secondly the boundary is used for the scoring of runs within the game of cricket, where a four is when the ball reaches the boundary, but a six is when the ball is hit clean over it. A sight screen is another very important piece of cricket ground equipment that must be set up before playing a game of cricket. The purpose of a cricket sight screen in crickets is to aid the visibility of the ball. The sight screens are placed at each end of the cricket ground opposite to the wickets, the colour of the sight screens makes seeing the cricket ball easier for the batsman. The sight screen also helps block out any distractions through light or otherwise that the bowler or batsman may face, which in turn help improve player performance.

The third piece of cricket ground equipment that is needed before starting to play cricket is the stumps and bails. The stumps are 3 wooden polls that are placed vertically in the ground directly behind the batter at each end of the pitch. Stumps are no more than 28 inches tall and have a spike at the end to be easily put into the ground. The bails are two small pieces of wood that sit on top of the stumps to link them together. In a game of cricket the batter is out when the stumps are broken apart, with one or both of the bail’s leaving the stumps. This can happen through the ball hitting the wicket, the batter hitting the wicket with their bat or if a fielder hits the wicket with the hand the ball is in.

The final two pieces of cricket ground equipment needed to begin your game of cricket is a ball and a bat. A regulation cricket ball has a cork base, and is wrapped in twine which is covered with leather. Cricket balls are also normally red or white, and very hard making them a potentially dangerous object when playing a game. A regulation cricket bat is often made from either Kashmir or English willow. A cricket bat has a long handle and on smooth face, with the other face in a triangular shape. Regulations also state that bats can be no longer than 38 inches and no wider than 4.25 inches.

With the amount of cricket ground equipment needed it is very important not only to purchase high quality items that will last but also affordable to save on major costs. Should you have any questions about the equipment available always to be sure to ask a customer representative at your cricket ground equipment supplier and they will always be willing to help.

Established in 1973, Morrant Group Ltd is a family run business with over 35 years experience in mail order team sports equipment. Father, Daughter, Son and staff are working hard every day to ensure that our company achieves its aim. We sell a range of sports gear, including cricket ground equipment and other goods. Please visit our website at http://www.morrant.com.