Fast and furious, action-packed edge of the seat cricket. The Hundred is here, and so are the gold custom cricket trophies handcrafted by English luxury silversmith, Thomas Lyte.
The two brand new 100 ball cricket men’s and women’s competitions by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), were planned for the summer of 2020. But it was sadly delayed a year by the global COVID-19 pandemic. Both maiden tournaments started with a bang in July 2021, where The Hundred Cricket Trophies were unveiled in front of excited London crowds.
The Hundred attracts world-class players and global audiences. With our own world-class team of trophy makers, Thomas Lyte are humbled to play a role in such a historic moment for the game of cricket.
Renowned as one of the world’s greatest trophy makers, Thomas Lyte specialises in bespoke elite trophies, awards and silverware. The London-based English luxury brand are Royal Warrant Holders as Goldsmiths and Silversmiths to Her Majesty The Queen.
Combining traditional skills with leading edge modern methods, the company is responsible for many of the world’s most iconic sporting trophies. These include the Emirates FA Cup, the Rugby World Cup, the Davis Cup and the Guinness Six Nations trophy to name a few.
Commissioned by the ECB in 2019 to make both the women’s and men’s trophies, the master craftsmen at Thomas Lyte’s London-based silver workshops set to work making two identical gold sports trophies. The trophy designs were drawn up, hand painted and created in 3D by the custom trophy manufacturers’ very own elite sporting trophy designer Trevor Brown.
“A blockbuster new competition naturally requires blockbuster trophies.” said Kevin Baker, Thomas Lyte’s CEO and founder. “I am incredibly proud of the work of the talented Thomas Lyte team, who have crafted these two magnificent trophies.”
“This was another wonderfully exciting trophy commission for Thomas Lyte. The Hundred is clearly a modern, dynamic and welcoming competition, and this trophy design reflects that. We will be very proud to see it lifted at Lord’s at the climax of this thrilling new tournament” said Baker.
Standing at 56cm tall and weighing just under 13kg, the two identical gold-plated trophies took over 190 hours to craft.
Once the design was agreed with the ECB it was essential to create technical drawings and digital 3D artwork. Thomas Lyte are specialists in bespoke trophies. Creating two identical handmade custom trophies simultaneously is not an easy task without meticulous planning.
After gaining precise measurements from these drawings the team engraved the template onto flat sheets of brass. Head Silversmith, Kevin Hart, then gorged out the lines by hand. This step helps to fold the sheets more easily into the shapes that make up the iconic tournament logo. Hot-forging is the process used to fold and bend the metal at temperatures of over 700 degrees Celsius.
The folded pieces of trophy were then soldered, filed and polished ready for gold plating in Thomas Lyte’s plating tanks. The same tanks have been used to plate so many of the world’s major sporting trophies.
After a final polish on polishing lathes spinning at over 3000 rpm, the pieces are then assembled and firmly attached to the hardwood plinth. The smaller pieces are combined with a sterling silver pole that suspends the T, H and E, replicating the tournament’s logo.
Once the engraved plaque is fixed to the plinth, the completed trophy is passed to Thomas Lyte’s dedicated quality control team for the final check. Having many of the world’s most iconic sporting trophies crafted or repaired in our workshops, quality control is one of the most important stages in the process.
The Hundred trophies were no exception. Every millimetre of the trophies was checked under bright white lights for marks and imperfections in case further work was needed. It is only after this uncompromising process that the trophy is prepared for delivery to the client.
