 | |
| Formerly | H.J. Gray & Sons |
|---|---|
| Company type | Private |
| Industry | Sport |
| Founded | 1858; 168 years ago (1858) |
| Founder | Henry John Gray |
| Headquarters | Robertsbridge,East Sussex, |
Area served | Worldwide |
| Products | List
|
| Brands |
|
| Website | grays-int.com |
Grays International is an Englishsports equipment manufacturingcompany based inRobertsbridge,East Sussex. The company was founded in 1858 by Rackets champion H.J. Gray, producing equipment forcricket,field hockey,netball,rugby union andtennis, through its brands and subsidiaries.
It has a sister company, "Gray-Nicolls Sports Pty Ltd.", based inCheltenham, Australia.[1]
In 1858 the company "H.J. Gray & Sons" was founded inCambridge by Henry John "Harry" Gray, who started manufacturing wooden racquets for Cambridge students, among themRanjitsinjhi,King Edward VII andKing George VI.[2] In 1940 Alison Gray merged the company withhockey stick manufacturer J. Hazells, to form Grays Hockey and also acquired the world-renowned cricket bat business of L.J. Nicolls, resulting inGray-Nicolls.
The 1980s and 90s expansion meant Grays International had to move the headquarters to larger premises inRobertsbridge, a village inEast Sussex, where it remains to this day.[3] The company grew by expanding into clothing and footwear, and by acquisitions including theGilbert Rugby brand,[4] which doubled the size of the company in 2002. In 2019 the company resumed the manufacture of wooden lawn tennis racquets. It is still run by members of the Gray family.[5]
Each brand of Grays International is focused on one sport:
| Brand | Sport | Products |
|---|---|---|
| Gray-Nicolls | Cricket | Bats,balls,helmets,gloves,caps,leg pads, team uniforms,apparel,footwear |
| Gilbert Netball | Netball | Balls, teamwear,footwear,apparel |
| Gilbert Rugby | Rugby union | Balls,team uniforms,shoulder pads,boots |
| Grays Hockey | Field hockey | Sticks, balls, team uniforms,footwear, accessories |
| Grays of Cambridge | Real Tennis,Rackets,Lawn Tennis | Woodenrackets |
