Condition
8
10: New
9: Mint
8: Excellent
7: Good
6: Fair
5: Average
4: Below Average
3: Poor
|
Rarity
8
10: Impossibly rare
9: Extremely rare
8: Hard to find
7: Fairly rare
6: Uncommon
5: Common
<4: Big Seller
9: Mint
8: Excellent
7: Good
6: Fair
5: Average
4: Below Average
3: Poor
9: Extremely rare
8: Hard to find
7: Fairly rare
6: Uncommon
5: Common
<4: Big Seller
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About This Racket
Grays, founded in 1855 by H.J. Gray stated making wooden rackets for Cambridge students, the company quickly expanded its product range. It had its own small factory, making largely hand-made products. It made the famous Hazells Streamline racket. It had some excellent rackets and nice liveries, although its use of new materials was slow. In the 70s and 80s their wooden tennis and squash rackets were considered some of the best in the world! But it was only modesty successful in the UK but hardly known in US and Europe. It was dominated by Dunlop whose factory at Waltham Abbey is barely 50 kilometres from Grays’ Playfair Works factory at Coton just outside Cambridge. The Pointmaster was an attempt to relaunch interest in Grays in the 1980s. The they still make three bespoke rackets today.
MODEL List: 1908 “Masterpiece”; 1927 Light Blue’; The Gray; Wingfield; Playfair; Light Blue Super Blue Treble Blue, New Blue, Royal Blue, Varsity Blue, Cambridge Blue; Gray Century, Gazelle, Pointmaster, Stroke Master, 125.
Grays actually still makes bespoke wooden rackets namely the Mystique £210; Wingfield: GBP£215 and Masterpiece: GBP£198 and these continue to be super-rare. They are all-wood 9-ply lamination including Leatheroid plate 69 sqinch 18×20 available in
Light – up to 335 grams unstrung
M or Medium – 335 + grams unstrung
Historic Gallery
Specifications (👋 not yet accurate….check back soon)
Measurements | Value | Performance | Graph |
---|---|---|---|
Weight | 394g | Power (33%) | |
Head Size & Length | 68sq in | 27inch | Control (22%) | |
Balance | 8pt head light (220) | Spin (26%) | |
Grip | Perforated leather | Handling (88%) | |
Strings | 18 x 20 | gut | Comfort (66%) | |
Flexibility | RA 49 | Consistency (33%) |
Gallery
About Grays
Grays, founded in 1855 by H.J. Gray stated making wooden rackets for Cambridge students, the company quickly expanded its product range. It had its own small factory, making largely hand-made products. By 1940, the company merged with L.J. Nicolls to form Gray-Nicolls, enhancing its cricket bat production. The acquisition of J. Hazells in 1941 further diversified its portfolio, establishing Grays Hockey. The 1980s and 90s saw significant expansion, leading to a move to Robertsbridge, East Sussex. Grays’ innovative products, like the Scoop cricket bat in 1974 and the Karachi King hockey stick in 1965, solidified its market leadership. In 2002, the acquisition of the Gilbert brand doubled the company’s size, making it a global leader in rugby and netball equipment. However, it lacked sponsored athletes and it couldn’t quite compete with the biggest and best in Tennis, despite many excellent rackets and gradually declined in the early 90s.
YEAR | EVENT |
---|---|
1855 | Henry John Gray founded Grays of Cambridge |
1863 | Harry Gray became World Champion in Rackets |
1868 | Joseph Gray appointed professional at Rugby School |
1890 | Grays’ first catalogue featuring diverse sporting goods |
1912 | Grays’ rackets for World Champion Charles Williams lost with the Titanic |
1914 | Grays became a limited company |
1940 | Merger of H.J. Gray & Sons and L.J. Nicolls forming Gray-Nicolls |
1941 | Grays appointed as a nucleus firm; acquired Hazell & Co. |
1956 | Launched the ‘Olympic’ hockey stick |
1965 | Established Gray’s Pakistan factory |
1974 | Introduced the revolutionary Scoop cricket bat |
1987 | Grays floated on the Pakistan Stock Exchange |
1995 | Gilbert ball first used in Netball World Championships |
2002 | Grays acquired Gilbert brand |
2007 | Gilbert ball used in Netball World Championships in Auckland, New Zealand |
2015 | Gilbert Match XV chosen for Rugby World Cup |