We had some very special guests visit our workshop recently, Roger, Mark and Jack Podbery. They have been regular visitors to the workshop for over 30 Years, with three generations of their family using our kit!
We caught up with Mark to find the full story on how his allegiance with M&H began:
"My father, Roger, first got involved with M&H when he read an interesting newspaper article by Simon Hughes, saying a trend in county cricket was for players to use M&H bats but with their sponsors labels, with 7 or 8 of the English test team using M&H bats. This was around 1992. We went to the barn in Bishops Lydeard and he purchased a bat (Original). That was when Jonathan and Julian were running the company.
He said the quality of the bat definitely improved his game.
Our next purchases were a signature for my cousin Edward and an original harrow for my brother Neil.
From then on we have been buying M&H bats on a regular basis. We have probably bought around 15 bats over the years. Most have been where we have watched our bats being made.
Coming to M&H at Taunton is a day out and at times a chance to watch some cricket.
We first met Rob when he had just started as an apprentice. He has been our main point of contact over the years and has become a close family friend who we have had the pleasure of meeting up with outside of the M&H doors! We've been lucky enough to see his career progress to now owner of the brand, and one of the best batmakers in the world! It is always a pleasure to visit M&H.
As we tend to spend several hours in the workshop on our visits we have met several famous cricketers, Marcus Threscothick, Craig Kieswetter and many more. We met Rahul Dravid and several Indian test players e.g. Suresh Raina. Rob made my father a bat at the same time he was making one for Dravid. We really enjoyed watching Rahul Dravid play and having a chat with him was a lovely, it was an unforgettable experience.
In the early days of us using M&H bats we would let fellow players have a hit with them in the nets and the response was “the ball pings off the bat way better than mine”. As a result many of our fellow players have switched to using M&H bats.
It was a joy for my father and I when we took my son Jack to the workshop a couple of weeks ago to have a size 3 bat made by Rob. I am sure this is going to improve Jack's cricket who has recently represented his county side at U10 level. The new bat has a common place next to Jack's bed whilst he sleeps!
I'm sure we'll be back soon!"
