The invention is directed to a sports gear having an extension.

Sports gear like golf clubs, baseball bats, tennis rackets, badminton rackets, squash rackets, ice hockey sticks, field hockey sticks, cricket bats and the like have a shaft where the user of the sports gear holds the sports gear with his or her hands. For various reasons it is desirable to be able to vary the length of the shaft. For example because the user grows in length or because a personalised shaft length improves the interaction between the user and the sports gear. By being able to quickly alter the length of the shaft it is possible to find this optimal length using one sports gear.

Various extensions for a shaft have been developed for golf clubs.

JP2017080625, JP2012228336 and US2002/091012 describe a golf club provided with an extension such that the shaft length can be altered. The common feature of the disclosed extensions is that a base part is inserted into the metal shaft of the golf club and that the extension is connected to such a base part by a screw-thread type connection.

WO2018/112624 describes an extension for an ice hockey stick. This extension has a base part which is configured to fit inside the square hollow end of the shaft of the ice hockey stick.

The above extensions require that the shaft is hollow. The object of the present invention is to provide for an extension which can be used for sports gear having a shaft which is not hollow.

This is achieved with the following field sports gear. Sports gear comprising a shaft having an upper end part, an extension base part connected to the upper end part of the shaft and an extension part connected to the base part by means of an anchor, wherein the extension base part comprises a lower part provided with an opening configured to fit around an exterior of the upper end part of the shaft and an upper part with an opening to receive the anchor. The sports gear according to the invention does not require that any part of the base part has to be placed within the shaft of the sports gear. This is advantageous because it allows the extension to be combined with existing sports gear products.

By not having to position any part within the shaft the structural integrity of the shaft may be maintained. Further advantages will become apparent when describing the preferred embodiments below.

The extension part as connected to the extension base part has an opening through which opening the anchor is positioned. Preferably extension parts of different lengths may be used such that the optimal length of the shaft may be obtained for the specific user/player.

The extension base part may have a female opening or a male part which fits with a male part or a female opening present on the extension part. The shape of the male parts and female openings are such that they avoid rotation along an axis running along shaft. Possible shapes may have a polygon cross-sectional shape, like for example a triangle, a quadrilateral, a pentagon or a hexagon or star shapes having multiple corners.

The anchor may be any connecting means which can fix the extension part onto the extension base part. The anchor may have a bayonet type fixing

arrangement, a screw type arrangement or their combinations. Preferably a screw type arrangement is used. The anchor may be provided with a threaded part and the opening to receive the anchor is provided with a matching threaded surface. The upper part of the anchor is preferably flat, preferably has a larger diameter than the threaded part and is preferably provided with means to cooperate with a tool which is used to fasten by rotating the anchor into the threaded connection. The upper part is suitably nested into the upper end of the extension part. The extension part may then be fixed to the extension base part by a threaded connection of the anchor with the opening.

Suitably the anchor does not extend into the upper end part of the shaft. This ensures that the integrity of the shaft is not negatively altered when using the extension, especially in combination with existing sports gear. No substantial modifications to the shaft will then be required when combining such a sports gear with the extension base part, extension and anchor.

The extension base part and the extension part may be injected moulded products. The material may be a thermoplastic material. Examples of suitable thermoplastic materials are acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), Nylons

(polyamides; PA), polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PE) or polyvinyl chloride (PVC). The outer surface may be made of a different material, for example to enhance the look and/or feel. These different materials may also be injected moulded in a so- called 2K injection moulding process.

The shaft of the sports gear will generally have a tubular or cylindrical upper part. The extension base part may then have a tubular opening positioned in a lower part of the extension base part and which opening is configured to fit with the tubular upper part of the shaft. The outer surface of the lower part has a frusto conical shaped surface. This allows that the shaft may be provided with a grip which partly covers part or all of the frusto conical surface, thereby protecting the hands of the player against injury.

The upper end part of the shaft may be connected to the extension base part by means of an adhesive bond or by means of friction.

The extension base part may have an upper part provided with a tubular outer surface. The extension part may also be provided with a tubular outer surface.

Suitably the tubular outer surface of extension base part and the outer tubular surface of the extension part are flush with respect to each other. Examples of sports gear suited for this invention having such a tubular outer surface are baseball bats, cricket bats and field hockey sticks. A field hockey stock is well known and for example described in GB9811039 and DE3012300.

The invention is especially directed to where the sports gear is a wooden cricket bat. In cricket bats having different length of shafts are typically used depending on how the ball is thrown by a specific bowler. By being able to adjust the length of the shaft with the current extension only one bat can be used and the length is adjusted according to the known throwing technique of the other team bowler.

The extension base part may also have an upper part provided with eight surfaces as the outer surface. These surfaces run in the direction of the shaft. The extension part may also be provided with eight surfaces in the direction of the shaft. Suitably these eight outer surfaces of the extension base part and the eight outer surfaces of the extension part are flush with respect to each other when connected. Such an extension is used for a shaft also having eight surfaces running along the shaft. When connected the eight surfaces of the shaft are flush with the eight surfaces of the extension base part. The opening as present in the lower part of the extension base part will then have an octagonal cross-section such to fit with the upper end of the shaft comprises a provided with an opening as present in the configured to fit around an outer surface of the upper end part of the shaft.

Examples of sports gear suited for this invention having a shaft having eight surface as described above are a badminton racket, a padel racket, a squash racket or a tennis racket.

The shaft of the sports gear may comprise of wood, metal and/or a fibre reinforced composite material, such as for example glass fibre and carbon fibres reinforced composite materials. The sports gear suitably comprises a fibre reinforced composite material as obtained by blow moulding. Especially a sports gear wherein the shaft is manufactured by blow moulding using two separate blow moulding tubes resulting in that two separate hollow elongated spaces result in the shaft. The extension base part is especially suited for such a shaft because it is not positioned within the interior of the shaft, thereby not negatively influencing the strength of the shaft. An example of a suited sports gear having such a blow moulded shaft is a field hockey stick.

The invention is also directed to a kit of parts comprising a sports gear according to the invention in combination one or more extension parts, preferably of different lengths. The additional extension parts may also have a different

appearance.

The invention shall be illustrated by the following non-limiting Figures 1 -8.

Figure 1 shows a field hockey stick A field hockey stick (1 ) having a shaft (4) and a hitting area (2). The shaft has an upper end part (3) provided with an extension base part (5) and extension (10).

Figure 1 A shows the upper end part (3) of the shaft (4) and detached three extension parts (10, 10’and 10”) each having a different length L, U and L”.

Figure 2 shows the field hockey stick of Figure 1 A as shown from above in view II indicated in Figure 1A. The upper end of the extension base part (5) is visible. Further a male part (13) is shown having a star shape and an opening (7) suited to receive an anchor (9) as illustrated in Figures 3 and 5

Figure 3 shows extension base part (5), extension part (10) and anchor (9) as separate parts in a three dimensional view. The male part (13) has the shape of a star having multiple extensions. The extension base part (5) has a lower part (21 ) provided with an opening (6) configured to fit around an outer surface (20a) of the upper end part (3) of the shaft (4) and an upper part (24) provided with an opening (7) to receive the anchor (9) as shown in Figure 5.The anchor (9) is provided with a threaded part (17) and the opening (7) to receive the anchor (9) is provided with a matching threaded surface (18). Extension part (10) is provided with a female opening (15) which fits with the male part (13) such to avoid rotation. Further this opening (15) allows passage of the anchor when assembled.

Figure 4 shows a tool (28) as seen from aside and below having two extensions (29) which fit in openings (30) of the anchor (9) shown in Figure 3. This tool (28) may be used to rotate the anchor (9) when fixing the extension part (10) to the extension base part (5). Figure 5 shows extension base part (5) fixed to a tubular upper part (3) of the shaft (4). The tubular upper part (20) of the shaft may be solid, hollow or have a bridge running along its length as in a blow moulded shaft. The extension base part (5) has a tubular opening (6) positioned in a lower part (21 ) of the extension base part (5) and which opening (6) is configured to fit around the outer surface (20a) of the tubular upper part (20). The outer surface of the lower part (21 ) of the extension base part (5) has a frusto conical shaped surface (22). The shaft (4) is provided with a grip (23) which grip (23) covers part or all of the frusto conical surface (22). -The extension base part (5) has an upper part (24) provided with a tubular outer surface (25). The extension part (10) has a tubular outer surface (27). Tubular outer surface (25) of part (5) and tubular outer surface (27) of extension part (10) are flush with respect to each other. Because anchor (9) is nested into the upper end (8) of extension part (10) no further ridges are present which could be felt by the hands of the user when using the field hockey stick. As shown the anchor does not penetrate the interior of the shaft (4).

Figure 6 shows extension base part (5), extension part (10) and anchor (9) as separate parts in a three dimensional view as in Figure 3. Such an extension is suitably used in combination with a racket sports gear, such as a a tennis, badminton or squash racket. The difference with Figure 3 is that the extension base part (5) is provided with eight surfaces (5c). When assembled this surface (5c) will run flush with one of the corresponding eight surfaces (10c) of the extension part (10). The upper end of the extension part extends outwards such to provide for a ridge (32) which, in use, avoids that the shaft escapes the grip of the racket player.

Anchor (9) is provided with a gutter (31 ) in which for example a coin can be placed which coin can be used to rotate the anchor (9) when fixing the extension part (10) to the extension base part (5).

Figure 7 shows extension base part (5) having a length (L) as shown in

Figure 1 fixed to an upper part (20) of a shaft (4) of a tennis racket (1 ). The extension base part (5) has an octagonal opening (6) positioned in a lower part (21 ) of the extension base part (5) and which opening (6) is configured to fit with the octagonal upper part (20) of the shaft (4). The shaft (4) is provided with a grip (not shown) which grip may cover part or all of the eight surfaces of the shaft (4), the eight surfaces (5c) of extension base part (5) and the eight surfaces (10c) of the extension part (10). Because anchor (9) is nested into the upper end (8) of extension part (10) no further ridges are present which could be felt by the hands of the user when using the tennis racket. An axis (60) is shown. As shown the anchor cannot penetrate the interior of the shaft (4) because the upper part (24) fully covers the upper part (3) of the shaft (2).

In Figure 7 the extension part (10) has a length (L). By replacing the extension part (10) with a different extension part (30), (40), (50) or (60) and their respective anchors (29), (49), (59) and (69) of Figure 8 all having a different length (L) and fixing these extension parts on the extension base part fixed to the shaft (4) it is possible to simply adapt the length of the shaft of a racket. As shown in Figure 3 the different extension parts (30), (40), (50) or (60) have an anchor (39), (49), (59) and (69) having a length corresponding to the length (L) of the different extension base parts