Thursday, June 26th, 2014

Rapids Quality Replica Shirts Now On Sale In New Road Club Shop

Rapids Quality Replica Shirts Now On Sale In New Road Club Shop

Worcestershire Rapids replica shirts are now on sale in the club shop at New Road and will be available to purchase at tomorrow's home NatWest T20 Blast encounter with Nottinghamshire Outlaws (5.30 start).

The shirts can be bought for just £35 and are the cheapest replica tops amongst the 18 first class counties.

Already the county's first on-site shop in recent times is doing healthy business and reported record sales for last week's T20 Blast derby with Birmingham Bears.

Worcestershire business director Jon Graham said: "The Rapids shirts did not come into stock until Monday which was a big frustration.

"But we've got them now and I think they are the cheapest replica top of all the 18 counties – £35.

"Make no mistake about it, they are quality goods. The only compromise we have made is on our (profit) margin because we want people to wear the brand.

"The shop did record sales for any game against Birmingham Bears and I think we will do the same against Lancashire (on July 6).

"It's the first shop on-site for a while. Before we were selling bats and pads and stuff like that but we will leave that to the bigger chains to do.

" For us, it's about affordable merchandise and we've got that and the shop will only improve and the sales are solid and good."

The shop is situated on the concourse near the turnstile entrance under the Premier Inn restaurant.

The Rapids are expecting another healthy crowd for the meeting with the Outlaws and Graham was full of praise for the way staff dealt with the 5,000 plus full-house against Birmingham.

He said: "Operation-wise against Birmingham, it's always the game that I think the stadium manager dreads because we've got so many people in but it was absolutely superb.

"Everyone who got involved, from the part-time staff on the bars which were rammed all game, to the stewards and the office staff did a great job.

"On the pitch it's all about the players and off the pitch a lot of hard work goes into making something go very smoothly.

"When we've got that amount of people in the ground, it probably only happens a couple of times a year, to operate on that level is testament to the preparation that we've done and we're not just a sleepy little county when people come to town.

"We can actually deliver a product and a service that makes sense and works for everybody. It makes you incredibly proud of everyone associated with the club."

Graham insists the whole T20 Blast experience is about giving supporters, members and sponsors a night to remember to go alongside the excellent cricket being produced on the pitch by North Group leaders the Rapids who have won six games on the trot.

He said: "We are trying to do different things like last week, whether it is the mascot race with Nile the Crocodile and the two Bears from Birmingham or the Eat-Off, it is just trying to give people something to remember.

"We've had the pyro-technics and the fire-boxes this week. We will have something different with the Chinese theme on Friday so hopefully we will have dragon dancers and a few other bits and pieces.

"For us, we needed to start afresh and we've done it and it's great to start afresh with a winning team.

"It would have been difficult if we had had a tough season but all credit to the lads for what they've done and all we can do is try and do the same off the pitch."