Grays International
Encyclopedia
Grays International is a sporting goods manufacturing company
, based in Cambridge
, England
. The company was founded in 1855 by rackets champion H. J. Gray, producing equipment for hockey
, rackets and cricket
.
, squash
, badminton
and racketball equipment. The cricket side of the business merged with L. J. Nicolls in the 1940s to form Gray-Nicolls
, which continues to be one of the most prominent brands in world cricket.
, known for their rugby league
balls, acquired in 1995, and Gilbert
, who produce equipment for rugby
and netball
, purchased in 2002.
Company
A company is a form of business organization. It is an association or collection of individual real persons and/or other companies, who each provide some form of capital. This group has a common purpose or focus and an aim of gaining profits. This collection, group or association of persons can be...
, based in Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The company was founded in 1855 by rackets champion H. J. Gray, producing equipment for hockey
Field hockey
Field Hockey, or Hockey, is a team sport in which a team of players attempts to score goals by hitting, pushing or flicking a ball into an opposing team's goal using sticks...
, rackets and cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
.
History
The Grays brand is primarily associated with hockey, having also acquired Hazells in 1941, but it is still to be found on tennisTennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
, squash
Squash (sport)
Squash is a high-speed racquet sport played by two players in a four-walled court with a small, hollow rubber ball...
, badminton
Badminton
Badminton is a racquet sport played by either two opposing players or two opposing pairs , who take positions on opposite halves of a rectangular court that is divided by a net. Players score points by striking a shuttlecock with their racquet so that it passes over the net and lands in their...
and racketball equipment. The cricket side of the business merged with L. J. Nicolls in the 1940s to form Gray-Nicolls
Gray-Nicolls
Gray-Nicolls is a sports equipment and apparel company specialising in cricket. The origin of Gray Nicolls is from the English company Grays. -History:...
, which continues to be one of the most prominent brands in world cricket.
Other brands
In addition the Grays and Gray-Nicolls brands, Grays International also owns SteedenSteeden
Steeden is an Australian sporting goods manufacturer, best known for producing rugby league footballs.Steeden is the official ball supplier of the National Rugby League , Rugby League State of Origin, Kangaroos National Team, New South Wales Rugby League, Queensland Rugby League, Rugby Football...
, known for their rugby league
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
balls, acquired in 1995, and Gilbert
Gilbert (sports equipment)
Gilbert is a sporting goods manufacturing company, specialising in balls for rugby union and netball. The company was established by William Gilbert in 1823, who along with his nephew, James, developed the first rugby balls, having previously made football boots before the game of rugby had been...
, who produce equipment for rugby
Rugby football
Rugby football is a style of football named after Rugby School in the United Kingdom. It is seen most prominently in two current sports, rugby league and rugby union.-History:...
and netball
Netball
Netball is a ball sport played between two teams of seven players. Its development, derived from early versions of basketball, began in England in the 1890s. By 1960 international playing rules had been standardised for the game, and the International Federation of Netball and Women's Basketball ...
, purchased in 2002.