In October 1987, Julian Millichamp and Jonathan Hall sent 100 clefts of willow, their faces pressed, and handles fitted, to Perth, Australia. There they found enough space on a workbench in an existing sports goods repair shop to shape the pressed and fitted clefts into bats.
Using Julian’s personal collection of antique tools which included drawknives, spoke shaves, even a horse’s shin bone, the bats took their finished form.
From there the bats were sold directly to cricketers through Slater Gartrell’s sport shop in Midland, Perth. This was the birth of Millichamp and Hall.
The partners returned to the UK for the northern summer and started in the same modest fashion on a workbench in a backroom of Jonathan Hall’s home in Somerset. Then with the Ashes tour of 1989 came a significant breakthrough for the company. Word of the quality of Millichamp and Hall bats spread to the Australian test squad and before the end of the tour 11 of the 16 tourists were using Millichamp and Hall bats, albeit disguised with the labels of their better-known sponsors. By 1990, 27 of the top 40 rated batsmen were doing the same. Remarkably, Millichamp and Hall never had to give away a single bat. Test players, most of whom hadn’t bought a bat since they were twelve or thirteen, were digging into their own pockets to buy the best.
Four decades later this enviable international reputation remains. M&H are found in the small corner of the Cooper Associates County Ground in Taunton, Somerset. Here is where you will find Robert Chambers and his team working away, providing the finest handmade bats to customers from around the country and the world.
We are proud sponsors of over 3000 junior players, numerous county championship and international players, providing bats along the way to some of the game’s biggest superstars. Legends like Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Justin Langer.
Millichamp and Hall
7 Priory Avenue
Taunton
TA1 1YD
Telephone: 01823 327 755
Email: info@millichampandhall.co.uk
Visit us online: www.millichampandhall.co.uk
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