Buying kit in Argentina is not so simple. You will not find a cricket shop anywhere in South America. Plus, any new product that makes it into the country which has a value of over US$300 is liable to 50% tax. Cricket balls are never sent through the post. The last time 12 brand-new Kookaburras arrived in Buenos Aires, customs officials had no idea what they were so cut each ball in half to check for drugs or explosives!
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| Two Kookaburras which have seen better days |
But forget the balls. During my time here I have come across the best bat ever made, in terms of price, durability and performance. The brand is 'Gymkhana' and apparently it is made in Yorkshire. It must be 25 years old, and is used by every youth in every net session at Belgrano Athletic Club. It bows the wrong way and with the twine around the handle long since gone, the rubber grip is all there is. And it still goes like a gun.
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| Some gems from the Belgrano Athletic kit bag including the legendary Gymkhana bat |
So what happens if your bat breaks with no bat maker to mend it? And when gaffer, sellotape and fiberglass no longer holds? Argentine cricketers don't give up on their lumber. They find a 'third way'.
I first noticed this method when lifting a random bat to demonstrate a forward-defensive shot. The bat picked up unlike anything i'd come across. What could this be, I thought? New bat technology? A different perimeter-weighting perhaps? Closer inspection showed that there were screws in each edge holing a should-be fatal crack together. I'm not sure this would pass the MCC's laws on bat regulations, but I was cheerfully informed that it can add months to the life expectancy of any bat. In any condition. From any era.
