Grays International

Grays Of Cambridge (International) Limited
Private
Industry Sports Equipment
Founded 1855
Headquarters Robertsbridge, England, United Kingdom
Area served
 Worldwide
Key people
 H.J. Gray, Founder
Products Field hockey Equipment
Rackets
Real Tennis Equipment
Cricket Equipment
Rugby Equipment
Netball Equipment
Clothing Equipment
Brands Gray-Nicolls
Gilbert Rugby
Gilbert Netball
Grays Hockey
Grays Racquets
Website www.grays-int.com Edit this on Wikidata

Grays International (Grays) is a sporting goods manufacturing company, based in Robertsbridge, England. The company was founded in 1855 by rackets champion H. J. Gray, producing equipment for hockey, rackets and cricket. It has a sister company Gray-Nicolls Sports Pty ltd based in Cheltenham, Australia.[1]

History

In 1855 The company of H. J. Gray and Sons was founded in Cambridge, by world rackets champion, Henry John Gray, who started manufacturing wooden racquets for Cambridge students, among them Ranjitsinjhi, King Edward VII and King George VI.[2] 1941 Alison Gray merged the company with hockey stick manufacturer J. Hazells, to form Grays hockey and also acquired the world-renowned cricket bat business of L. J. Nicolls, resulting in Gray-Nicolls. At this time the company also acquired the famous brands of Shaw and Shrewsbury and Wainwrights. In the 1950s and 60s, the brand went from strength to strength and at one stage the captains of all 5 Test playing countries (Ted Dexter, Richie Benaud, Frank Worrell, John Reid, Trevor Goddard) all used Gray-Nicolls. Major innovations included the revolutionary "Steel Spring" and the first shoulderless "Superlite" bat. In 1970s Gray-Nicolls were the first to introduce coloured labels. Top Cricketers using the trend-setting Gray-Nicolls red flash included the Chappell brothers, Clive Lloyd, Tony Greig and Barry Richards. In 1974 The company broke new ground with the introduction of the scoop bat, sometimes named cricket's most famous bat.[3] A new Gray-Nicolls factory was opened in Melbourne to supply the growing demand from the Australian and New Zealand markets. The 1980s and 90s Expansion meant Grays International had to move the headquarters to larger premises in Robertsbridge, a village in East Sussex, where it remains to this day[4]. The company grew by expanding into clothing and footwear, and by acquisitions including the ‘Gilbert Rugby’ brand[5], which doubled the size of the company in 2002. It is still run by members of the Gray family.[6]

Brands

References

  1. ↑ "gn-sports". gn-sports. Retrieved 2018-05-09.
  2. ↑ Ltd, Grays of Cambridge (International). "Gray-Nicolls - History | Where tradition meets innovation". www.gray-nicolls.co.uk. Retrieved 2018-05-09.
  3. ↑ Jackson, Russell (2014-07-23). "Gray Nicolls Scoop, the bat every kid wanted for Christmas, turns 40". the Guardian. Retrieved 2018-05-09.
  4. ↑ "Contact us - Grays of Cambridge (International) Ltd". www.grays-int.com. Retrieved 2018-05-09.
  5. ↑ Ltd, Grays of Cambridge (International). "Gilbert Rugby - History | Rugby's Original Brand". www.gilbertrugby.com. Retrieved 2018-05-09.
  6. ↑ Ltd, Grays of Cambridge (International). "Gray-Nicolls - Meet the Family | Where tradition meets innovation". www.gray-nicolls.co.uk. Retrieved 2018-05-09.
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