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Factorymaking bespoke cricket bats for the stars


THE sound of leather onwillowis one sign of a quintessential Eng- lish summer. And even though the sport of


crickethas spreadfar andwide,Eng- lishwillowremains themostpromi- nentwood used in cricket bats. At a small factory on the outskirts


ofMaidstone, the process ofmaking cricket bats is in full flow– and they are not any old bats either. The approximately 50 steps from


a chunk ofwillowto an award-win- ning blade are put into action by the teamat Salix, in Langley. Half of the processes are carried


out bymachinespackedinto the fac- tory, before the bats are hand fin- ished and ready to go out. “We want the bat to be an exten-


sion of the hand,” Salix founderAn- drew Kember says. “The key to hitting the ball further is timing, and the bestway to do that is to focus on the ball and the bowler rather than the bat. “We produce about 2,000 bats a


year, andwe only use the best qual- itywillowin all of them.”


AndrewKember, Amos Kemp, bat finisher Ian Carey and adminmanager Catherine Cresswellwith bats at various stages of the process


Awalk around the factory shows


just some of the processes the bat has to go through. Some bats, spliced and with handles in place, havewriting on them. “With our bespoke service,we can


help the batsman out as much as they want,” Salix’s sales and mar- keting man Amos Kemp explains. “Some peoplewill tell uswhat they want, but others are open to a bit of guidance.”


Salix, Latin for willow, was


founded by Andrew in 1990, who worked with legendary bat maker JohnNewbury. A Salix bat, the PodMarque, was


namedas the best in itsprice bracket in The Cricketer magazine’s Good GearGuide this year. The firm’s professional clients in-


clude England women’s star Tammy Beaumont and Kent 2nd XI starlet Jordan Cox.


News


Village hall in car park deal


SUTTON Valence Parish Council has struck a deal to provide park- ing spaces for its residents to rent. Car owners living inNorth Street


and Victory Terrace will be able to secure a spot in the village hall car park at a cost of £96. Council chairman Eve Poulter in-


sisted the exercise is “not amoney- making enterprise” but designed to recoup the £30,000 cost. There will be 22 spaces for resi-


dents who have no access to off- street parking. Overnight visitor passeswill also be available. The car park is privately-owned,


for the use of the village hall users. The council felt it unfair to bur-


den residents with the cost of con- verting the car park and decided instead to recoup the money through the charge. Cllr Poulter told the borough


council’s strategic planning, sus- tainability and transportation com- mittee onApril 10: “Car parking is extremely limited in the parish and we believed that providing extra parking for residents would be a fair compromise to our problems.” Cllr Clive English said Cllr Poul-


ter’s presentationwas very inform- ative.


Business Focus Denture care to make you smile


SB Denture Design Ltd (formerly known as SB Dental Laboratory) are now pleased to offer our services directly to the public. SB was founded in 1989, producing quality denture work for dentists in Maidstone and the surrounding areas. Since then Steve, the founder of SB Denture


Design has been clinically trained so we are able to provide our services directly to you. He gained further clinical qualifications at the University of Central Lancashire (with merit) and this enables him to treat patients directly thus alleviating the need to visit the dentist for the impressions, denture try in and the fitting of the dentures. Any necessary after care would be provided by us as well.


With over 25 years of experience in manufacturing all styles of dental appliances, we can now hand craft your dentures for you from start to finish. By dealing directly with the technician who will make your dentures we can tailor your prosthesis to your own personal individual requirements. Using only the highest quality materials and all


the latest technologies you are guaranteed a product of the very highest standard. From


T: 01622 766077 E: steve@sbdentures.co.uk W: www.sbdentures.co.uk


repairs and adjustments through to new sets we can offer a complete denture care service. Although the work is done ‘in house’ with


partial dentures and other more complex cases we work closely with the dentist. It is essential that the health of any remaining teeth are checked out before denture construction. This is necessary to ensure the prosthesis is a long term solution. We can accept referrals from you own dentist or we can arrange an appointment with one of our dental colleagues at your first appointment. Having the laboratory on the premises reduces


the waiting time for some services, some services like repairs can even be done while you wait. It is also an advantage as some larger adjustments can be done in house We pride ourselves in making sure everyone we


treat is happy with the product we produce and want our patients to have the confidence that their denture has been constructed with the utmost care and using only quality materials. Our aim is to make people comfortable with our treatment and confident with our product.


SB Denture Design Ltd 2 Wallis Avenue Maidstone,


Kent ME15 9DX Maidstone Weald May 2018 23


SB Denture Design Ltd offer FREE consultations and can advise you on the best denture options available.


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