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Companies => Off-the-shelf companies => Gray Nicolls => Topic started by: Buzz on July 23, 2014, 07:25:10 AM

Title: the Scoop is 40...
Post by: Buzz on July 23, 2014, 07:25:10 AM

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/gallery/2014/jul/23/gallery-celebrating-the-gray-nicolls-scoop (http://www.theguardian.com/sport/gallery/2014/jul/23/gallery-celebrating-the-gray-nicolls-scoop)

one for Tim2000s especially!

Title: Re: the Scoop is 40...
Post by: tim2000s on July 23, 2014, 08:21:10 AM

:D :D :D

What's brilliant is the initial design drawings by a certain John Newbery and the first advertising page, which tells you why it is the GN100:

(http://i.guim.co.uk/w--/h--/q-95/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2014/7/22/1406007374841/f7aa603f-6250-4d13-8689-fc03d1719198-680x1020.jpeg)

Love the description at the bottom.

Title: Re: the Scoop is 40...
Post by: tim2000s on July 23, 2014, 09:02:53 AM

And the 1977 Catalogue page....

(http://i.guim.co.uk/w--/h--/q-95/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2014/7/22/1406007799542/b193fab4-581f-4f6f-a743-c3f1b5d2270e-620x432.jpeg)

Title: Re: the Scoop is 40...
Post by: Buzz on July 23, 2014, 09:34:42 AM

What I found interesting was the instructions to the willow growers (wrights at that time) to create larger clefts too.

Title: Re: the Scoop is 40...
Post by: AverageCricketer on July 23, 2014, 10:47:41 AM

Never knew the GN 100 was a 100th anniversary bat!

Title: Re: the Scoop is 40...
Post by: sarg on July 23, 2014, 11:21:52 AM

Brilliant story in the guardian about the bat, bat makers and the players. Thanks for sharing.

Title: Re: the Scoop is 40...
Post by: Blank Bats on July 23, 2014, 11:45:11 AM

Great read.

A certain batmakers first job at GN was to paint the scoops in red, back in the day.

Title: Re: the Scoop is 40...
Post by: tim2000s on July 23, 2014, 12:08:16 PM

Some of the statistics in the story are incredible...

"By 1976, 34% of surveyed English professionals were using the bats and the number was closer to 50% in Australia.

"The explosion of colour and the radical design features proved irresistible to cricket enthusiasts. Soon came “Twin Scoops”, the Chappell “GC Master” model and, by the late 1980s, the Dynadrive. The latter precipitated the end of the Scoop’s reign atop the Christmas wishlists after a 15-year run of unparalleled success. There was also a brief early-90s renaissance when Brian Lara used a Scoop to post his world record Test score of 375."

hWHat's fascinating is that the term Scoop is used to refer to the GN100, GN500, Twin Scoop and Dynadrive in this article...

An early Dynadrive

(http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LYrcWSZak90/URt6Ygv7v6I/AAAAAAAAAN0/cmqao9Hohz4/s1600/1987+GN+Twin+Scoop.jpg)

The blog is here: http://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2014/jul/23/gray-nicholls-scoop-the-bat-every-kid-wanted-for-christmas-turns-40 (http://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2014/jul/23/gray-nicholls-scoop-the-bat-every-kid-wanted-for-christmas-turns-40)

Title: Re: the Scoop is 40...
Post by: Buzz on July 24, 2014, 11:00:49 AM

Loads more here

http://thewastedafternoons.blogspot.com.au/2014/07/gray-nicolls-scoop-dvd-bonus-features.html (http://thewastedafternoons.blogspot.com.au/2014/07/gray-nicolls-scoop-dvd-bonus-features.html)

awesome!

Title: Re: the Scoop is 40...
Post by: tim2000s on July 24, 2014, 11:36:03 AM

Love these:

(http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ypn4m4G_z0E/U9CRkNj2nzI/AAAAAAAACLE/mrgNuVx6FWY/s1600/Gray+Nicolls+1989+Catalogue+2+LR.jpg)

(http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EvEoqBIreO8/U9CRk1K2MGI/AAAAAAAACLQ/4T-nUKIa2os/s1600/Gray+Nicolls+1989+Catalogue+3+LR.jpg)

Title: Re: the Scoop is 40...
Post by: tim2000s on July 24, 2014, 11:42:58 AM

Mmmmmmm.....

(http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-N4S3Gm_8sfQ/U9CSulqcCBI/AAAAAAAACPo/DgGHj7YBHEo/s1600/Gray+Nicolls+Scoop+early+80s+brochure+1.jpg)