I think Newbury have gone downhill in recent years. They used to make some of the best bats I’ve ever used (early/mid 2000s), but the latest ones seem to leave a lot to be desired.
I was interested in one of their Centurion 100 bats last season, so I gave them a call and asked if they could send me some pics of the ones they had in stock. They said they didn’t have any, but had a few pieces of sufficient quality willow they’d be happy to have sent away and have the logos laser printed. When I received the pics, none of them looked even remotely near G1. In fact, even Klubb Bats would have been too embarrassed to call it G1.
Call me fussy, but for a £600 bat I want the willow to have straight, even grains, and be pretty much flawless.