British Cricket Balls Ltd is a British
sports equipment
Sports equipment, sporting equipment, also called sporting goods, are the tools, materials, apparel, and gear used to compete in a sport and varies depending on the sport. The equipment ranges from balls, nets, and protective gear like helmets. ...
company, specialising in
cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...
equipment. The company notably manufactures the Dukes brand of
cricket ball
A cricket ball is a hard, solid ball used to play cricket. A cricket ball consists of a cork core wound with string then a leather cover stitched on, and manufacture is regulated by cricket law at first-class level. The trajectory of a crick ...
used by the
England cricket team
The England cricket team represents England and Wales in international cricket. Since 1997, it has been governed by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), having been previously governed by Marylebone Cricket Club (the MCC) since 1903. Engla ...
in UK
Test cricket
Test cricket is a form of first-class cricket played at international level between teams representing full member countries of the International Cricket Council (ICC). A match consists of four innings (two per team) and is scheduled to last fo ...
, and which traces its origins to 1760.
[ The Dukes ball is also used by the ]West Indies cricket team
The West Indies cricket team, nicknamed the Windies, is a multi-national men's cricket team representing the mainly Commonwealth Caribbean, English-speaking countries and territories in the Caribbean region and administered by Cricket West I ...
in their home Test matches.
Cricket products marketed by the company include balls, bats
Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera.''cheir'', "hand" and πτερόν''pteron'', "wing". With their forelimbs adapted as wings, they are the only mammals capable of true and sustained flight. Bats are more agile in flight than most bi ...
, batting glove
Batting gloves are a component in bat-and-ball games sportswear. Typically consisting of a leather palm and back made of nylon or another synthetic fabric, the glove covers one or both hands of a batter, providing comfort, prevention of blisters ...
s, and pads
Pads (also called leg guards) are a type of protective equipment used in a number of sports and serve to protect the legs from the impact of a hard ball, puck, or other object of play travelling at high speed which could otherwise cause injuries t ...
. The current owner is Dilip Jajodia
Dilip Jajodia (born 1944) is an Indian businessman, and current owner of British Cricket Balls Ltd, which manufactures the Dukes cricket ball.
Personal life
Jajodia's family are from the Marwar region of Rajasthan in north-west India. He stu ...
.
History
The Duke family began manufacturing cricket balls as a cottage industry
The putting-out system is a means of subcontracting work. Historically, it was also known as the workshop system and the domestic system. In putting-out, work is contracted by a central agent to subcontractors who complete the project via remote ...
at Redleaf Hill, Penshurst
Penshurst is a historic village and civil parish located in a valley upon the northern slopes of the Kentish Weald, at the confluence of the River Medway and the River Eden, within the Sevenoaks district of Kent, England.
The village is situa ...
, Kent, England, around 1760 and continuing until 1841.["'Platypus Gem' Cricket ball and core, 2000: Statement of significance"]
Powerhouse Museum
The Powerhouse Museum is the major branch of the Museum of Applied Arts & Sciences (MAAS) in Sydney, the others being the historic Sydney Observatory at Observatory Park, Sydney, Observatory Hill, and the newer Museums Discovery Centre at Castle ...
. Retrieved 23 November 2013. Having gained the Royal patent for their cricket balls in 1775,[ Duke & Son made the first-ever six-seam cricket ball, which was presented to the then ]Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rulers ...
and used for the 1780 English cricket season. In 1851, their triple-sewn ball won a prize medal at the Great Exhibition
The Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations, also known as the Great Exhibition or the Crystal Palace Exhibition (in reference to the temporary The Crystal Palace, structure in which it was held), was an International Exhib ...
. And in 1881, another Dukes ball won a gold medal at the Melbourne International Exhibition
The Melbourne International Exhibition is the eighth World's fair officially recognised by the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) and the first official World's Fair in the Southern Hemisphere.
Preparations
After being granted self-go ...
.[ Williams, Marcus and Gordon Phillips]
''The Wisden Book of Cricket Memorabilia'', p. 238. Lennard, 1990
Google Books. Retrieved 23 November 2013.
In 1920, Duke & Son merged with John Wisden
John Wisden (5 September 1826 – 5 April 1884) was an English cricketer who played 187 first-class cricket matches for three English county cricket teams, Kent, Middlesex and Sussex. His father, William, was a builder. He attended Brighton's ...
& Co, a manufacturer of cricket bat
A cricket bat is a specialised piece of equipment used by batters in the sport of cricket to hit the ball, typically consisting of a cane handle attached to a flat-fronted willow-wood blade. It may also be used by a batter who is making ground ...
s.
In 1999, the company introduced the controversial white ball for that year's Cricket World Cup
The Cricket World Cup (officially known as ICC Men's Cricket World Cup) is the international championship of One Day International (ODI) cricket. The event is organised by the sport's governing body, the International Cricket Council (ICC), e ...
.['']The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
''
"Why white is the thing for the swing?"
Retrieved 23 November 2013.
See also
* Kookaburra Sport
Kookaburra is an Australian sports equipment company, specialising in Australian rules football, cricket, and field hockey equipment, named after the Australian kingfisher. The company notably manufactures the most widely used brand of ball u ...
* Sanspareils Greenlands
Sanspareils Greenlands, commonly known by the abbreviation SG, is an Indian cricket equipment manufacturer. Its balls are used in Test cricket and in the Ranji Trophy in India. They have a more prominent seam and are closer together than the Ko ...
(SG)
References
External links
*
{{Sports equipment brands
Sportswear brands
Cricket equipment manufacturers
Sporting goods manufacturers of the United Kingdom