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[manno]

Hi guys, great forum! Here's a thread to share the story of my 09 custom Legend.

I guess it starts in 09 when after being in love with cricket for most of my life I was finally convinced to join my cousins Peninsula league team. I had played briefly in my early teens but having second hand buckle up pads and a dynadrive when all I wanted was an Easton bat and GN kit I lost interest and gave it away. Anyway, so I'm now 30 odd years old and needing some kit.... So naturally, having an OC personality I google google google and ring and hassle most of the cricket stores in Aus till im happy I've got it figured all out.... A trip to GCCC quickly confirmed what id hoped, with the Legend feeling a mile better than any other stick that I was to pick up. So I bought one, and ordered a second. Then began piecing together the rest of my kit.

The bats were immediately stripped and taken back to GN to be waxed and buffed. The stickers were ok but I had something more traditional in mind so they reluctantly provided me a couple of sets of random GN bat stickers that I customised to get the look that I was after. The result while not everyone's cup of tea turned out exactly as I had hoped. Modesty aside..... I am convinced that returning the custom after a few games to have some rain spots buffed out and GN seeing what I had done to the stickers inspired the UK vintage look legend stickers.......

A bit about the two bats, BIG middles, they tap up crazy good.  NO concaving which i much prefer and pickup/balance just beautifully!!

The custom Legend as it arrived.



The two Legends after my fiddling around with stickers.







Here you can see the slight difference in profiles between the custom and off the shelf Legends.



The toe after applying urethane (best toe guard of all that I've seen/used).



As I said, some like, some don't. Personally I think its much easier on the eyes than the all singing and dancing stickers that smother most of the bats these days... And finally, here is the kit that I ended up settling on. Don't worry I know what your all thinking, "all the gear, no idea?". Completely understandable but not entirely true.



I was set!!! So I ended up playing nearly two seasons in the "coughfifthscough" and picked up the batting award and all round award for the two seasons. The bat was passed around like a conch amongst the jnrs and was eyed off by most of the snrs. Anyway, I lost interest partially due to a fun sapping captain/president as well as an instant family that demanded my Saturdays. So the bat was sold to a firsts batter at the club. Ever since I've missed the bat! Soooooo.... last week I annoyed the poor bloke into selling the bat back to me! I'm happy now knowing the bat will die at my hands!! Like adopting out a child there was/is a feeling of guilt attached to the old girl and to make it up to her she's being given a bit of a refurb and perhaps a little upgrade.....

Here she is as it was returned to me.





And after a little TLC and ready for a wax/buff.






Im surprised just how little its worn and how strong it still plays!! I'll update the thread when she's back ready to play. Thanks for listening and any info or opinion is welcome!

Cheers
Manno

[Chad]

Absolutely lovely Manno! I wish I loved a bat enough to buy it back. There are probably only 2 bats I have sold on which I would consider doing so haha! It does look in top nick for a bat that has been used over 3 seasons. I have always been scared of using bats that grainy, I think because I was told almost as soon as I started cricket that tight grained bats never last long, although your GN suggests otherwise!

I'm not sure when Legends came out in the UK, but I'm sure if it was like 2011, then you may well have had something to do with it! I like my bats with no concaving as well, though I might get a really heavily concaved bat (Kookaburra Genesis) copied, as that was the first profile I fell in love with. I much prefer the Aus Legend shape to our UK shape, maybe they should just make them the same profiles with different stickers!

You say the toe is polyurethane glue? I have some in my house that I haven't opened yet, I bought it as a possible crack repairing glue along with some PVA, but saw that it is toxic, and couldn't trust myself to use it! Maybe I will experiment with it as a toeguard though!

[smokem]

Great write-up Manno. And those Legends look awesome. Can you clarify on the urethane toe? Is it polyurethane or thicker like Shoe Goo?

[Jenko]

Lovely bats mate and awesome awesome profiles. Really like that shape a lot. I'm a traditional shape bat man myself

[Jenko]

I bought a GN Matrix way back in the early 2000's an did the exact same thing to the stickers, just trying to see if I have a pick of it anywhere of how it looked.

[manno]

Thanks Chad - Will be a sad day when this bat finally packs it in. To be fair though over the three years its probably only really done a seasons work. I didn't make it to training at all and the guy that I sold it to alternated between this and another. I heard a lot about more grains and less life too but i don't know Chad. I do know that I spent hours and hours gently knocking it in.. maybe that's helped prolong its life?

Hey smokem - sorry mate the product I used was like an industrial branded product similar to shoe goo. Once on I had to sit holding the bat rotating it like a spit until the stuff was set but when it dried it was like a hard clear rubber. Very very durable, didn't wear though and wouldn't peel off the toe no matter how hard I tried! Not a fan of the rubber toes that you glue on and I absolutely recommend the shoe goo or urethane option!

Yep, cant fault the shape Jenko. Seemed pretty spot on for the concrete pitches we played on! Dig up the photo, would be good to see what others have done to customise the design of the graphics.

[Blank Bats]

superb looking bat

love the minimalistic stickers

[manno]

Thanks bb. I like it simple and I think they look good, though they aren't quite as swish as those black/chrome stickers of yours.

Which I must admit are probably the best that I've seen.

[Blank Bats]

very kind of you sir

[mad_abt_cricket]

Love the profile on these bats!

[tugga]

Best grains mate! Which one do you prefer using?

[manno]

Best grains mate! Which one do you prefer using?

Sadly I only ever used the custom and sold the other one "new" on fleabay not that long ago.

The mallet flew off it like a bullet though. I regret selling that one too now that I think about it...... THANKS!! ha 

[alba caerulea]

Very nice bats and softs there manno 

Those slaz gloves look right up my street

[Alvaro]

I remember these bats from CSF.
Very nice.
Those Slaz gloves are great - were perhaps used by MC in the 2009 Ashes?

[Jenko]

Shame you sold it mate, would of had a few interested people anyway!

Here are two pics of the old Matrix. Can't remember when they came out but it was years ago, here is what I did to the stickers...