CRiCKETT Ball

There is just something ace about a cricket ball. I don’t really know how to express it other than that dull thud it makes when you throw it up in the air and catch it. It’s very British and sounds like summer! So, like any normal person, I decided that I needed to make my own ball to my standards because it seemed like a fun thing to do, and by crikey was it infinitely more difficult than I expected! We scoured the UK and there were lots of places that could make me cricket balls, but I either needed to make 1,000 of them or they ended up costing you about £120. Dejected, I walked to my local curry house and our main man Sunil was packing up my chicken biryani. I told him of my plight. He then told me that his great-uncle Suhail made cricket balls in a shed in Uttar Pradesh and if I wanted his number, I could have it and WhatsApp him… so I did just that. I got a lovely message back from Uncle Suhail and he told me that he made cricket balls in his shed in his spare time for local clubs and that if I wanted any, to let him know. I told him how many I wanted, he was a bit shocked, and then he started making them. The leather for these balls is tanned by Uncle Suhail’s mate, who also works in the local primary school as a caretaker. The leather has a wonderfully ‘sticky’ texture to it, like all great cricket balls should have in my opinion, and shines up a right treat. Each ball is then stitched by hand in Uncle Suhail’s shed using a needle and thread. No machines for Suhail, no way. Each ball is then printed by hand using a block that has been carved into wood and then pressed onto the ball. Each one is completely different, making them super special. On one side is the TRiCKETT logo and on the back is Hindi for TRiCKETT Cricket, which is a needless detail, but I like it. Each ball comes packaged in a display box that is almost as nice as the ball itself. So if you want a high-quality cricket ball or just a nice way to remember Uncle Suhail, then this is for you.