SABEL Saddlery was approached to make bespoke, handmade leather cricket gloves for Merlin Entertainments for display as part of the recently unveiled Don Bradman model at Madame Tussauds in Sydney.

Working from photographs of the originals and fabricated from appropriate leather - sourced and supplied by Merlin - Mia was able to construct a faithful replica, incorporating both the half thumb and open palm, of Bradman’s original batting gloves.

Ultimately successful, this was initially a challenging project. Unlike just making a pair of gloves, these had to be designed to be retro-fitted around hands cast by Merlin’s Wardrobe Team in a preformed pose, ready to be clasped around the handle of a cricket bat.

Batting gloves incorporate protective padding on the outside of the fingers. Their recreation around a
pre-made hand was, at times, akin to making a small, bespoke, leather suit for a bunch of Cumberland sausages. This goal was eventually attained by the assiduous use of a flocking iron - apologies to all saddle-fitters.

Mia hopes that the provision of her English, handmade gloves for “The Don” - an Australian sporting icon for good reason - will help assuage any ongoing opprobrium still harboured by sports fans “Down Under” in the wake of the Bodyline controversy.