A FLEDGLING Suffolk cricket equipment company will celebrate a successful first year next month.

Aedos was formed last October by Olly Magnus and his business partner Richard Burgess, who met while at Ipswich School where they both played for the 1st XI, and Simon Manthorpe, who is head coach at Hadleigh Cricket Club and coaches Suffolk Under-15s with Magnus.

Magnus, who is a 50 per cent shareholder and director of Burhill Logistics in Felixstowe, said: “The reason I set the company up was because I thought there was a niche in the market because Suffolk did not have a brand associated with the county and there might be an opportunity there.

“I met a friend through a friend at Lord’s last year who is quite well-connected in making cricket equipment, and I subsequently went over to India in October, which just happened to coincide with England playing a one-day series out there.

“I met with several contacts out there and I am also developing contacts in the UK as well.

“We started importing a lot of cricket equipment through my main company, although some of our bats are made in England and some are made in India – at Burhill Logistics we export willow to India and some of that is then brought back as bats – and we use a warehouse in Felixstowe to store everything.”

Magnus continued: “Aedos is actually an acronym of christian names in my family, but I later realised that in Greek Mythology Aedos was the goddess of respect and modesty, which sits well with our ethos for the company both in the short and the long term.

“Our bat ranges each year will always be based on mythological figures and our current ranges are Zeus, Poseidon and Pegasus with our very own eye-catching individual character silhouettes on the back.”

Not only do Aedos produce bats but also pads, gloves and kit bags.

Magnus said that the company had signed up several well-known cricketers in Suffolk to promote the brand, including Suffolk skipper Justin Bishop and county vice-captain Tom Huggins.

“We have sponsored a lot of players, but we feel that is the best way to let people know about us.

“We are getting three or four sponsorship requests a day, and we have not really advertised our products anywhere. People have either seen players using the equipment or they have heard about it, and our range has proved quite popular up north as well.

“We try to get involved with people who will help us as well as helping them and want to push the brand on our behalf.”

Suffolk opening batsman Tom Huggins, who is also skipper of Bury St Edmunds, has been using Aedos equipment – bats, gloves, pads and kit bags – throughout the season.

He said: “I am not usually one for change, but I have known Olly for a few years and so agreed to use Aedos kit this season. The bat has been brilliant for me, and I have been happy with all of their gear, while Olly has gone out of his way to make sure I have been well looked after.”