About Us
We are a family company founded in April 2000 who strive to maintain a personal & friendly service, delivering only the best quality products from a well-stocked warehouse which ensures a speedy delivery.
Although we now have over 100,000 satisfied customers nationwide, we started from humble beginnings having been constantly disappointed with the selection of equipment available in the fast diminishing sports shops up and down the country. Initially starting as purely a cricket and hockey specialist, the business flourished from a small lock up shop in Fordingbridge, Hampshire where it quickly became apparent that the need for quality specialist products was nationwide.
We were one of the first cricket and hockey specialists to go live with a website at the beginning of the Internet boom in 2000, and as our internet sales grew we added other sports to our range including Snooker, Badminton and Squash. In 2002 we moved to a new warehouse just north of Salisbury which we outgrew within a couple of years. If we were to maintain our profile as suppliers of specialist equipment across the full range of brands we needed something much larger both for stock and administration.
In 2005 we moved into our current warehouse - a purpose built unit in Downton, Wiltshire, which is where all our orders are packed and dispatched each day.
In 2006 we launched our own brand called Funky which has taken the cricket market by storm. We now sell more Funky cricket bats than all other makes put together. They are uniquely designed in consultation with professional cricketers and are used by top Hampshire players as well as former England player Simon Jones and many other top cricketers around the country. In 2011 we started making Funky Hockey sticks using the same principles as we did with cricket - to produce outstanding value for money products which perform at the highest level.
2011 saw a major expansion to the business as we went into partnership with the Rose Bowl - the home of Hampshire Cricket. We now run the Rose Bowl Shop, along with its website www.rosebowlshop.co.uk where you can find a large selection of Hampshire Replica Clothing, gifts and equipment.
The ethos of the company remains unchanged; we select our entire products individually, based on the quality, functionality and value they represent to our customers and make sure that they are all in stock for immediate delivery.
See for yourself what our customers think about us - check out the feedback we receive from our eBay store and Trust Pilot - an independent review website.
MEET THE TEAM
Michael Pain - Director
Born in 1949, Michael has five children and 3 grandchildren. He captained his local New
Forest village cricket club Hyde, is a qualified coach and worked with
Hampshire youth cricket squads for 17 years. He currently serves on the
Hampshire County Cricket Club Committee.
Jamie Harvey - Director
Born
in 1978, Jamie played cricket for South Wilts & Lymington in the Southern Premier League. He has recently re-established his local cricket club in Winterbourne, near Salisbury. The legacy
left by Jamie’s grandfather, the England off-spin bowler Jim Laker, has left him with many connections from
the golden era of cricket. Jamie has also worked at Lord's and is a qualified
coach.
Jenny Pain - Dispatch Manager
This is one of the most important facets of the business as all customers are
looking for their goods to arrive as quickly as possible. Every care is taken
to select the right items and get them out the door the same day. Not all
orders come through with the required information; Jenny will contact any clients
if she feels more detail is required to expedite swift delivery. Whilst Jenny
is not the sporty type she can add to her portfolio many years of cricket teas
in support of four playing sons and a husband.
Tom Marlow - Warehouse Manager
Born in 1992, Tom joined us from his early days as a work experience lad; Tom
comes from a long line of family cricketers who play in the most charming
George Patterson - Website
Administrator
Born in 1988, George is the newest addition to the team. George has
just completed his Masters degree and has made a massive difference to the
speed and efficiency of getting the latest products on the website. George is
an accomplished Wakeboarder & is captain of his local Five-a-side Football
team.
Angus
Wilson - Sales Assistant
Angus can be heard answering questions some afternoons
during the week. We all enjoy his company and Angus’s wealth of cricket
information has proved invaluable to us; he is very well known
on both the County and International scene and ranks many of the England Cricketers as his friends.