cricket: 50 years after Duncan Fearnley made his first bat, his

After the highs and lows of running his world-famous brand, Duncan Fearnley is back to overseeing a single bat-maker in a small workshop in Worcester.

For more than a decade between the mid 1970s and late 1980s, with 15 craftsmen and thousands of orders, the black stumps motif was emblazoned on the finest players' swashbuckling blades from New Road to New South Wales.

Now, while the quality of Fearnley's products remains, the demand for hand-made English cricket bats is falling in the face of cheaper, foreign competition.

For a less passionate man, this could be a sad tale of decline in one of Worcester's most famous firms.

But the Yorkshire grit that epitomised Duncan Fearnley's seven seasons as an opening batsman for Worcestershire, coupled with almost 50 years of experience in the bat-making industry, makes for a very different story.

At the age of 65, rather than lamenting the dying bat-maker's art, he revels in the fact that he is the last of his breed - the greatest asset of his Sherriff Street firm.

"No machine can replicate knowledge of willow and feel for a bat," he says. "Factories in India and Pakistan can learn to copy workmanship - and they have done very well - but it is not the same.

"A cricket bat isn't a piece of furniture. It's the tool of a trade. For a top player it has to be just right and that is what we do here.

"Anyone can mass-produce bats for kids or to mess around with. Here we can make without a doubt the best bats in the world and that's what we will stick to.

"Essentially, nothing has changed in top-quality batmaking over the years and I am very happy to be getting back to how it was at the beginning - picking and choosing who we make top-class bats for."

His talents can easily be traced back to his father, a woodwork expert, and grandfather, a cabinet maker, who was in business with the grandfather of ex-England captain Ray Illingworth.

Living in Yorkshire as a teenager, Duncan Fearnley was selected for an England Schools side in 1955, before earning employment as a pattern maker.

He soon combined the two skills when he joined a small cricket bat manufacturer in Drighlington, near Bradford.

With on-field chances for Yorkshire few and far between - though he did replace the injured Fred Trueman in a Roses clash, against Lancashire, in front of 25,000 fans - he continued to hone his bat-making skills before coming to New Road in 1961 for a trial.

Joining the staff the same day as another county legend, Tom Graveney, Duncan Fearnley only made one century for Worcestershire, but has

famously made his mark.

"I gathered some equipment together and that way I could make cricket bats in the winter and play in the summer," he explained.

"Me and a few friends used them and that's how it started. By the time Worcestershire didn't extend my contract I knew if I got stuck in there was no stopping me."

And for an opening batsman and bat-maker, his firm's big break came from an unlikely source - England fast-bowler John Snow.

"I was at a party with Ray Illingworth and I had the first copy of the black stumps logo in my top pocket," he recalled.

"I was showing it to people and asking their opinion and John Snow, who was a bit of a character, said 'if you stick it on the back of my bat, I'll use it.'

"The next time he walked out in a Test match he slung his bat over his shoulder so everyone could see the design. It was a brilliant feeling when I saw it.

"After that my wife cut out the first 4,000 by hand and I stuck it on everything."

For five decades now he has been crafting willow for friends, colleagues and, after he was propelled onto the world stage, a Who's Who of top cricketers.

Dennis Amiss, Glenn Turner, Ian Botham, Clive Lloyd, Sir Viv Richards, Allan Border and Graeme Hick are just a few of the stars who have relied on Duncan Fearnley's skills.

In 1975/6, England's David Steele refused to use any other bats, even advertising in national newspapers when his favourite Fearnley willow went missing.

"The bat I made him looked like it would be horrible but I knew straight away it was a good one," he said proudly. "He wouldn't let anyone touch it."

And the same could be said of the Worcester firm today. Two decades after its heyday, the business is still producing the 'Rolls Royce' of bats.

Demand and competition may have changed, but as long as Duncan Fearnley's pride in his work and passion for cricket is undiminished, the firm remains top of the tree.

"There's still the same buzz when I make a bat and see it at the end," he said.

"When you touch the willow it is beautiful. When you finish some bats you know you have something special in your hands. It's really amazing.

"The difference is now that I don't need to do it any more. I choose to do it for people who want an individual, top-class bat.

"That's the fun for me and that's what we are all about now, just like when first started.

And, though semi-retired, he realises this personal touch is more important now than anytime in the past 50 years.

"There is no Mr Gunn or Moore, or Mr Gray or Nicolls - but I still carry the name of my company and that makes us special.

How Duncan Fearnley bats became the best in the business

Late 1950s Duncan Fearnley began making bats in Yorkshire

1961 He moved to New Road and started a seven-year playing career at Worcestershire

1961 to 1968 He continued to make bats for himself and colleagues in his spare time and over the winter

1968 He was dropped from the team and set-up shop full-time in Sansome Place

April 1977 The firm experiments with the world's first 'holey' bat to offer shot speed and easier 'pick up' for heavier bats

July 1982 Ian Botham signs a five-year deal with the firm

July 1983 The firm received a £250,000 contract to ship out thousands of bats and other equipment to promote cricket in South African townships.

June 1985 Duncan Fearnley receives an SOS call from Ian Botham, who needs a special heavyweight bat to take on the Aussies - he made 60 with it that week

Mid to late 1980s the firm is producing 48,000 bats a year in Worcester and is used by Test stars from around the world.

April 1987 - Duncan Fearnley calls for Government action to halt cheap, foreign imports

November 1987 - Ian Botham is re-signed in a £100,000 contract, the biggest bat deal ever at the time.

October 1992 - a handful of manufacturing staff are temporarily laid off because of lack of demand.

July 2005 - only one bat-maker is employed at the factory, alongside Duncan Fearnley himself.

Want to know how a bat is made? Well, first you need a four pound block of wood...

Wood is delivered from Essex to the factory in a cleft state - dried, roughly shaped with a flat face and a pointed V-shaped back and about four pounds in weight.

A planer is used to smooth the face.

The bat can then be assessed - the wider the grain on the face, the younger the tree and the softer the bat. An ideal bat would have nine or 10 straight grain lines.

The face of the bat is pressed - fibres in the bat face become compacted while those at the back are still 'softer'. A precise combination provides the 'elasticity' that makes a cricket ball spring off the face on contact and prevents the bat from cracking.

A planer and saw is used to shape the back of the bat. The 'middle' can be made higher or lower according to the batsman's preferences.

A V-shaped splice is cut in the top and the handle is shaped and glued in - the handle has rubber shock absorbers to stop vibrations.

Hand tools are used to

smooth off any rough areas, finish the edges and complete the shape.

Finished bats are waxed to keep the right amount of moisture in and keep the

rain out.

String is wound round the handle and a grip or grips are put on.

Stickers are attached and the bat is ready for sale.