selling cricket Made in England W
ith more than a little hint of nostalgia, I made the journey
into the heart of picturesque rural Kent, the home of Salix cricket bat makers; a location I had visited as a ten year old to watch in awe as a master at work craſt ed my own custom made bat. Arriving at the quintessential English setting, I felt the same stirrings of nervous excitement I did as a youngster. For any discerning cricket fan, Butlers Farm in Langley on the outskirts of Maidstone is a cricketing Mecca like no other. Salix- Latin for willow- is a
company steeped in cricketing traditions. Although off ering a personal service, Salix primarily sell to the retail trade with Kent Cricket and Canterbury Cricket and Hockey among the company’s client base. As an apprentice to the late great John Newbery, Andrew Kember learnt his art
during the years spent with him at Northiam and Robertsbridge. Upon Newbery’s death in 1990, Kember set up Salix with Hugh Betts utilising the values learnt from Newbery of work ethic, skilled fi nishing and handwork remaining instilled at the very core of their business model. In an era of outsourced manufacturing and production, Salix and Andrew continue to go against the grain of modern convention with a team dedicated to the art of bat making who are based solely in England. Since the 1990s, the team has remained largely unchanged with Andrew, his wife Vicky, Hugh Betts, Ian Carey... and Ben Bowles... the apprentice making up their small but very select workforce. “From the cleft to the labelling, our whole process on bat production is entirely home grown”, says Andrew Kember. “We do not outsource or import our manufacturing, so we control
our own production. The best raw material and skills for bat making remain here and will continue to do so.” With an increased desire for a
return to British manufacturing as exemplifi ed with the rising profi le of the ‘Make it British’ campaign, Salix certainly appeal to those hankering after home grown produce. The preconception as with the majority of other home grown manufacturing is that the price is infl ated as a result. For Salix, this simply isn’t the case. With years of investment on machinery, this has allowed Salix to control every step of the bat making process and keep costs down. “Our grade 1 bats are hugely competitive and are considerably cheaper than many of our contemporaries. Take our award- winning Pod for instance. The bat retails for around £315. This is highly competitive and over £100 cheaper than some of our rivals. Although we accept that we
We do not outsource or import our manufacturing, so we control our own production. The best raw material and skills for bat making remain here and will continue to do so
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SGB-SPORTS.COM
Alex Fordham visits a cricketing manufacturer who is continuing to maintain old traditions
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