Personally having worked in the Gunn and Moore factory and been a sponsored player for Gray Nicolls, Kookaburra over recent years I can't disagree strongly enough with anyone that claims that these bats are not of the highest quality that a club cricketer can receive. Before my 2 years at Kooks and year at Gray Nics, which I have decided to cut a year short to re-join Millichamp, I spent 3 years at Millichamp and received the best bats I have been fortunate enough to use. Back then the softs were not to my taste which was a big reason for me leaving but having seen a lot of the new stuff over the past few years and hearing what Chris and Paul have had to say about them has nullified any fears I may have had. A big reason I believe these bats are the best, particularly for club cricketers is the sheer longevity of bats. During my 3 year span with Kooks and Gray Nics I went through a grand total of 12 bats, which for someone who gets replacements for free was not too much of an issue, but when I was bat less for a weekend or two I was forced to bring out my old M&H master which never failed even until its last day to be the best bat I have ever had. For club cricketers in particular longevity is vital as the longer you have a bat and the more it opens up and the more runs the bat, in theory, should yield and when you are paying over £500 in most cases now a cricket bat is an investment used to increase your enjoyment of the sport we all love. If you are spending that much money on a bat, you want to know that it will pay off in the long run as well as in the short term and from personal experience, the only bat I have had that has lasted more than a season (the master), has ultimately performed better in the second half of it's life. I will be getting my first look at the new range next month and personally can't wait, but I just thought it was worth throwing my tuppence in and trying to quell any rumours that Millichamp and Hall are not one of the finest bat makers in the country.