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[Howzat]

Recently got hold of some Mars Cricket gear who are based in Middlesex where I play. I opted for the classic prestige range, the plainest of the 3 ranges and in my opinion the classiest.  In all honestly I have never been a fan of Mars Cricket - anyone remember the horrific gold batting gloves? But was offered a decent deal so decided to give them a shot and im pleased to say that this year they seem to have got at least their range of softs spot on!

I was particularly impressed with the attention to detail on the pads, each strap is reinforced and slightly thicker than standard making them really comfortable. Each strap also has a little tab on the end making them really easy to put on.Whilst they aren't the lightest they do offer great protection and fit really well, wore them yesterday for a good 3 hours with no discomfort... did I mention I scored 171 runs (although it was in the 3's!)    I have actually never seen pads which are as well made as these, and its the little things which make these pads great.  The lack of logos apart from one at the bottom front of the pads mean these will be a favourite with all you plain kit lovers!

Gloves are also extremely comfortable, and feature a reinforced leather section on the side/bottom of the palm (in a similar style to what Puma do) which usually wears quite quickly on standard gloves. A sharktooth design allowing great flexibility even though these are brand new gloves, found them really easy to bat in without wearing them in. The palms are made of indian pittards which offered great grip for the duration of my innings yesterday... no slippage to report despite the sun finally making an appearance.

Here's a couple of pics taken from Mars Cricket... better photos than I could take on my iphone...



Overall I'm a big fan of both the pads and gloves as are my team mates who have tried them. A good solid range from Mars Cricket for 2013.


Scorecard: http://uxbridgecricketclub.hitscricket.com/scorecard/fixtureID_232637/SAT-3rd-XI--v-Shepherds-Bush-08-Sep-2012.aspx

[M77]

Must admit i'm not a huge fan, granted the gloves are comfy. But that aside there's not much about the set up to encourage me to want to wear them. I wouldn't put them into the classy category, its all a bit basic. But comfort is a must and the substance over style battle will rage on... in this instance i think there are equally good pads and gloves available but with a little more finess and aesthetic appeal.



 

[joeylough]

I agree with M77 I like the pads other than the logo above the knee roll. The Gloves and logo's look very dated.

But this does not take away comfort and protection.

(comment is just on the looks as I have never tried them)