Gray Nicolls Optimum 300

Advantages: cheap
Disadvantages: old

...The scoop bat has actually been one of the first bats produced by the gray nicholls company, who incidentally also specialise in the production of hockey sticks. The scoop was one of the first bats that I used in my early days as a cricketer and I was taken aback by its easy pickup and weight distribution. The bat is ideal for youngsters about to embark on the game, and providing the weight of the bat is not too heavy, will act to aid their pick up and allow them to play straight, something that even the test cricketers sometimes do not do. The scoop, in recent times has been taken over by the ultimate and dynadrive but i would recommend it to any youngster as a starting point.... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful

Advantages: quality of the wood is superb,as is the feel and pick up.
Disadvantages: can be quite expensive

...I have found that, over the years, the name gray nicholls is synonymous with quality and they certainly live up to this title with this bat, made to celebrate the millennium. The class of the company is noticed when one considers the number of international cricketers around the globe that endorse their products. In this bat they, once again, manage to get a good pick up and balance, something I find quite hard to find, especially on slazenger and newbury bats. One also has the option of being able to customise where you want the middle, for example, lower down if you intend to play on damp soft pitches, or higher up if the grounds are harder and somewhat bouncier. In addition, gray nicholls offer an oval handle, which makes it a lot easier to play straight down the line of the ball, as this is the natural motion, so in theory... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Light, good pick-up
Disadvantages:

...The Scoop has been on the market since the early 1980s, with the only differences being sporadic changes to the bat graphics/stickers. The Scoop benefits from having a little pick-up, although the fact that it has a large amount of wood "missing" from the area of the "sweetspot" has been known to put people off. However there is now compromise with a scoop. The ball will fly off the bat if well timed and the bats apparent lightness, allows weaker players to play shots. What was dismissed as a passing fad when originally launched (there have been a fair few amongst cricket bats) is still going strong. Gray Nicholls are amongst the best batmakers if you are having to stick to a budget and offer very good bats at fairly reasonable prices.... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful