At Serious Cricket, we are never content with just the opinions of some of the best players in the world but want to try them ourselves, so we took the shoes in our net lanes to give you our thoughts:
Cricket Shoes
ME+U 2024 Cricket Shoes Review
Me+U is a new brand in the cricket footwear market, so it was only right that we invited them to the Dummer Cricket Centre for a First Look and Testing.
There are three cricket spikes in the range, the ME+U Men’s All Rounder, ME+U Women’s All Rounder, and ME+U Unisex Bowling so we got our Head Coach Richard Hindley to test the men’s All Rounder and Rachel King, Southern Vipers Academy and part of our sales team, to test the women’s All Rounder.
The idea of the ME+U range is to provide cricketers with more stability and the idea was born out of a nasty ankle dislocation for the company’s founder Matt Carter in 2019. Their women’s shoe has also come from vigorous testing and expertise from female cricketers and is a unique addition to the cricket footwear market.
Despite ME+U being a start-up, they already have Kieron Pollard, Maia Bouchier, Lauren Filer, and Grace Scrivens as ambassadors, having tested the range and fallen in love with the quality of product.
ME+U Men’s All Rounder
Stability is the key feature of all the ME+U shoes and that is no different for the men’s All Rounder which has a built-in sock feature. There is a clean look to the ME+U Men’s All Rounder shoes with a blue sole but otherwise white to appease the cricket traditionalists.
Tech Specs
- Lightweight and Breathable Upper
- EVA Foam Midsole specific to ME+U
- Custom Fly Knitted Ankle Sock
- Flexible sole for mobility
- Lateral and Medial Foot Stabilisers
- Unique Heel Stabiliser
- Injection Moulder Heel Cup
Performance Review – in the nets
Hinders is a spin-bowling all-rounder so he tested the ME+U men’s All Rounder shoes whilst batting, running between the wickets, fielding in the outfield (our indoor arena), and bowling to Rachel.
The first thing Hinders notices about the ME+U men’s All Rounder is they are heavier than his current pair. The increased weight is a consequence of the increased stability to what you lose in terms of speed you gain in protection.
There is a feeling that the shoes push you forward which does aid mobility and helps you get down the pitch while batting and through the crease while bowling.
The custom sock attached to the ME+U men’s All Rounder posed a slight challenge for Hinders when putting the shoes on but equally provided enhanced comfort with a sung fit.
Hinders’ Scores:
Comfort – 4.5/5
Suitability: 4/5
ME+U Women’s All Rounder
The ME+U Women’s All Rounder shoes are a breath of fresh air for cricket footwear and arguably sports footwear in general.
There is nothing like them available and under the watchful eye of England legend Lydia Greenway, the ME+U women’s All Rounder shoes have a thinner heel and big toe area but a higher arch to fit with the findings of hundreds of scans of women’s feet.
Tech Specs
- Custom Last and Outsole specifically for women’s feet
- Lightweight and Breathable Upper specifically for women's feet
- EVA Foam Midsole to specifically support the women’s arch
- Flexible sole for mobility
- Lateral and Medial Foot Stabilisers
- Unique Heel Stabiliser
- Injection Moulder Heel Cup
Performance Review – in the nets
Rachel is a batter-keeper so she tested the women’s All Rounders while she batted against both the bowling machine and Hinders and wicket-kept standing up to the stumps and standing up.
She has been given a pair to use throughout the season so look out for more feedback, via our social channels, when she uses the ME+U shoes on grass.
Rachel agreed that the ME+U shoes felt immediately heavier but her movement was not necessarily impacted. It was obvious that the shoes were specifically built for women’s feet but felt the higher arch slightly which added to the feeling of stability especially while she batted.
The fact that the style changes did not take long to get used to is a good sign that the women’s ME+U shoes are doing their job correctly and fit well.
Rachel’s Scores:
Comfort – 4/5
Suitability: 3/5
Find Out More About The ME+U Story
To find out more about the brand and Matt Carter’s journey, including how a West Indian great came to invest in the company, watch our first look at the new ME+U range here:
ME+U Unisex Bowling
The ME+U bowling shoe has the same chassis as the men’s all-rounder and is also aimed at spreading the load around the body when bowling.
Hinders and Rachel are a spinner and wicket-keeper respectively so they felt they would not do a review justice.
A full review in the nets of the bowling shoe will be done soon but in the meantime be safe in the knowledge that West Indian fast bowlers Alzarri Joseph and Jason Holder have both sampled this shoe in training and enjoyed it.
Tech Specs
- Lightweight and Breathable Upper
- EVA Foam Midsole specific to ME+U
- Custom Fly Knitted Ankle Sock
- Flexible sole for mobility
- Lateral and Medial Foot Stabilisers
- Unique Heel Stabiliser
- Injection Moulder Heel Cup
Summary
ME+U are changing the cricket footwear game, and it is a refreshing return to cricket shoes that will hopefully provide stability and protection rather than exclusively comfort and style.
Overall, they are both slightly heavier than the current shoes our testers are wearing but in return, they both felt more looked after, in terms of protection and ankle stability, by these cricket shoes.
The origins of the name are explained in full by Matt, but it boils down to him wanting to share his journey with you and, therefore, he would love for you to buy into his story and share your feedback with him as he seeks to improve the shoe.
As always, we feel you can learn a lot by putting the shoes on in-store so come visit us but if you are unable to then we hope to have provided lots of information to inform your decisions.
The shoes are in stock so grab yours now before they are all gone!
Finally, a huge thank you to Matt and ME+U for providing the shoes and his time so we could give you the best possible information before buying a new pair of cricket shoes this season.
