Watch: Take a sneak peek inside the new Shropshire cricket shop as owner hopes gear will leave sports fans bowled over
The owner of a new sports shop hopes his gear will leave cricketers bowled over.
Kits and Wickets, in Beaumont Road, Church Stretton, has just been opened by Toby Pedley.
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It’s a slight departure from his previous career as manager of model and hobby shop Salopian Models in Shrewsbury.
But Toby believes his many years as a cricketer and fan of the sport will stand him in good stead to help teams get the equipment they need.
He will be supplying Hawk cricket kits as well as bats, balls and leisurewear, and kits for other sports.
Other brands Toby stocks include Chase and Duncan Fearnley.
He said: “I play and coach a lot of cricket, and I was looking into it to see where the nearest shop was.
“The nearest I could find were Cheltenham and Ashton-under-Lyme, Manchester, so I spoke to Hawk to see if they were interested in supplying and they said yes.”
Toby has been playing cricket since the early 90s, taking to the crease for Shropshire clubs including Craven Arms, Church Stretton and current club, Calverhall.
He is hoping that being a local retailer will generate more interest in the sport locally.
“We can personalise kits and have people’s names on them,” he said. “A lot of the schools don’t teach very much cricket because I think there are concerns with the costs. It’s not a cheap sport but there are ways around getting cheap kit, whether it’s passing something down or getting it second hand.”
To find out more about the shop visit kitsandwickets.co.uk/
