cricket kit advise please

[Labro]

ds is yr 6, only been in indie since yr 5, but would now like own bat etc for cricket. I have no idea what brands are any good or completely rubbish, so please would you lovely people help me out with decent brand names for bat, bag, shoes, pads and gloves and which to avoid! He's not in any teams, quite a beginner, so nothing too expensive either!!!

[weblette]

Do you have a decent local sports shop? They'll be best at getting the right size bat/pads/helmet (which he'll need for hard ball) otherwise get clothing from anywhere, doesn't really matter.

[mankyscotslass]

Kookaburra bats are good, and about the lightest around in a decent price range for that age group. Check if he needs a bat for corkies or not - it changes what you can buy. We got DS his bat in Decathlon.

Sports Direct have some Slazenger helmets and other pads and stuff which out coach reckons are decent - but again, beware of the bats, as they are not always appropriate. We got a decent bag with wheels for half price there too. They also have some whites on offer there too - originally over winter the trousers were reduced to £4 and the tops £2 or £3, but they have gone back up to half price now, at £9 and £7 - Decathlon also had a decent range of whites. We got DS his box and the shorts for them in Sports Direct too.

They have shoes as well, but we ended up getting our spikes in the sale from Decathlon, and the training ones from an independent sports shop.

[JollyPurpleGiant]

www.newitts.com/

This website is quite good, and quite cheap, for basic school sports kit.

[JollyPurpleGiant]

www.newitts.com/

With a working link

[LIZS]

Does school not have a shop ? Sports Direct do a good inexpensive range with brands like Slazenger , Gunn & Moore and Kookaburra but he'd need to try the bat for size. Check the type of ball he's using too.

[Labro]

scuse ignorance - what are corkies??

[lainiekazan]

Top Hint: get a cricket bag with wheels. All the cricket gear is quite heavy and ds was dragging his along 100 yds behind all the other boys who were zipping along with their wheely bags.

[mimbleandlittlemy]

Definitely worth going to a sports shop if you can even if it's just so you can try things on before ordering it all half price from Amazon. It's amazing how many kids turn up with the right sized bat but so heavy the poor things don't have a hope of lifting it. Ds's club very tough on the weight of bats and will make kids buy a new one if it's too much for them. I also found that different makes of pads/gloves/helmets come up quite different in size so it's worth just standing there trying on gloves and helmets until you are sure.

I accidentally got a box that was too big - we got a smaller second one, but he certainly has something to, er, aspire to... from me, from him.

[JustGiveMeFiveMinutes]

Don't go to Sports Direct. They are useless. You need to get a bat that's the correct size. Ask around to see where everybody else goes. Where (roughly) are you? You also need whites (trousers and top), a box and helmet (preferable).

[mankyscotslass]

Corky - hard ball - if it's training our club don't use them so much, but for matches he needed a bat that was suitable.

Kookaburra was the lightest we tried in the right size and type - DS is a small YR6 with narrow wrists, so the weight was definitely a consideration.

[KathySeldon]

He'll need cricket pants too!! To hold his 'box' in place!!
Yes yes to a BIG bag with wheels.

He will probably want the same brands as his friends, so get him to ask, what bat/helmet the other boys have.

[musu]

The school will be able to tell him what size bat he needs. There is nothing wrong with getting stuff from Sports Direct.

I would have expected his prep to provide all the protective gear although most boys like to have their own helmet.

[lonahjomu]

Sports direct is far easier to order online from than actually visit. (((it's a terrifying experience))))). Ask your son's PE teacher to measure him for a bat.

My son has 2 pairs of trousers, they are cheap enough.

[JustGiveMeFiveMinutes]

'The school will be able to tell him what size bat he needs.'

Personally, I think you'd be taking a chance. The bat needs to be the right size and weight for your ds. A specialist shop will be able to properly advise unlike the staff in Sports Direct who don't have a clue

I suppose it depends on how serious you are about it to be honest.

[Labootin]

Best place i've found for kit is attached to the county cricket club

I would imagine most of them have a shop in the grounds (Essex certainly do)

And yy to the wheeled bag

Cricket trousers are generally unfinished at the bottom so you can cut to size

Ds has played hardball since he was about six .. Getting a box to fit him was "interesting" .. He wears brief style underpants.

[SoMuchToBits]

Do you have a local independent shop which sells cricket gear? If so, I'd go there, as they will probably have staff who can help and advise you. We have a shop in Ipswich which does, but I don't know which area of the country you are in.

With a bat, especially, he will probably want to try it, to check that it's the right size and weight for him and feels comfortable. Also with cricket shoes he will want to try them on for fit.

We mostly bought Gunn and Moore stuff for ds, which have proved to be hard wearing and good quality. We bought the pads, helmet, gloves, cricket bag etc online from Newitts and the cricket shoes, bat and clothing from our local shop, where he could try them on.

[pimmsgalore]

Just check with school what he needs. Our indie provides everything and tells them only bats and boxes can come from home as there isn't space in the minibus/changing room/ school for everyone to have large cricket kit bags

[MissLivvy]

If you're anywhere near Essex, go to Warsop at East Hanningfield. Really lovely, v helpful, make bats on premises. Believe 6th generation of bat makers! Owner was explaining to my son this week, how so much of willow for bats comes from Essex. Owner spent one and a half hours with my son advising and suggesting bat choices. Excellent service and no more expensive than bat from sports shop. Cannot recommend highly enough.

[Bowlersarm]

Go into your local sports shop. They will be able to advise

[Anthracite]

I bought DS a bat/pad/glove combo from Tesco, for something like £15. Shirt and trousers from Sports Direct for less than £10 each.

School provided the Aran jumper, caps and helmet. They also provided the bat and pads, but boys loved having their own and getting padded up early (essential in DS's team as the outs came in fast succession!).

[AlfieBear87]

Make sure you buy a bat that's already 'knocked in' unless you want to spend hours oiling and hitting the bat with a cricket ball inside a sock!

[Bowlersarm]

allfie in my limited experience, knocking in is not a problem. Small boys sit for hours 'knocking in' the bat much to everyone's annoyance

[storynanny]

Oh the years I've listened to boys knocking in their bats!!!!! They def need a helmet when playing in a team, I think it's a rule. I remember having to give written permission to one of my sons captains if he didnt choose to wear a helmet aged 17 . I think it's a rule under 18, quite rightly too as the boys get really good at fast bowling.
They def need their own box, my boys told me that the communal box lurked unwashed in the team bag from season to season!
Yes to the bag on wheels. Also be careful about offering lifts to games. Some of the boys had bags so big I would have had to put the boys on the roof.

[IDontDoIroning]

My ds has just started he is nearly 12. We got most of his kit from sports direct - trousers top sleeveless and sleeved jumper box and 2 pairs of underwear for about £30.
He is training with a local club and they have bats they can use but he found them too heavy so my dh took him last w/e to a local independent sports shop. He had a try of some bats and chose a lighter one. He was lucky as it was last seasons and heavily reduced £30 from over £100.

[OnGoldenPond]

If you are anywhere near, Fordham Sports in Kingston Vale is great for cricket and rugby gear. Specialist staff who really know about the sport and can give good advice. Not too expensive either.We have used them for DS who is a cricket fanatic for the last 3 years.