Condition

6

10: New
9: Mint
8: Excellent
7: Good
6: Fair
5: Average
4: Below Average
3: Poor

| Rarity

9

10: Impossibly rare
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 itself was 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. However it did try and innovate and this steel shaft racket is an eye-opener! Sadly it was an idea that did not work.

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. In 1930 they were making the Double Blue, Light Blue Max Woosnam at RRP 70 shillings. In 1940 they were making the All Blue and the Ace. In 1965 they introduced a range of women’s rackets possibly Light Blue / Gazelle / Swift / Pacemaker

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

Grays Historic Gallery

Specifications (👋 not yet accurate….check back soon)

Gallery

About Grays

Grays International, established in 1855 by rackets champion H.J. Gray, has a rich history of over 160 years in producing top-quality sporting products. The company’s heritage and record of innovation have resulted in a powerful portfolio of brand names synonymous with excellence in the sporting world. Grays is renowned for its rackets in Real Tennis and Rackets, hand-crafted in Cambridge, England, from English timber processed at their Robertsbridge timber yard. The company’s brands, including Gray-Nicolls in cricket and Gilbert in rugby and netball, are market leaders globally, offering not only equipment but also clothing and footwear of unparalleled innovation and quality. Grays International’s expansion and acquisitions, such as the addition of the Gilbert Rugby brand, have contributed to its continued success. The company, still family-owned and operated, supports athletes from grassroots to professional levels, embodying a legacy of excellence and innovation in the world of sports.