H.J. Gray and Sons was founded in Cambridge by world rackets champion H.J. Gray in 1855 and soon built a reputation supplying rackets to University players such as Ranjitsinjhi and the future King Edward VII. The company is owned and controlled by the Gray family to this day. L.J. Nicolls started making bats in 1876 in his workshop in Robertsbridge, East Sussex; where the company is still based today; and supplied WG Grace with his record-breaking bat with which he scored his 100th century and made 1000 runs in May 1894.

Gray-Nicolls was formed in the 1940's by the merger of two well known cricket bat manufacturers H.J.Gray and Sons, and L.J. Nicolls. At this time the company also acquired the famous brands of Shaw and Shrewsbury and Wainwrights. England captain Wally Hammond and Australian star Keith Miller used Gray-Nicolls.   More detail...