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William Sykes was just 23 when, against the advice of his father he married and then with his own and his new wife's savings purchased a saddler business in Horbury, England, in about 1870. He married Ethel Marshall, sister of Herbert Marshall and Alice Whitmarsh.
The business prospered and a few years later added footballs to the other leather goods it was making. The Sykes Zig-zag branded football was used in many leading events including the FA Cup finals of 1936, 1937, 1939 and 1946.
Sykes subsequently expanded his business by dealing in cricket bats, before moving into their manufacture. Donald Bradman, widely acknowledged as the greatest Test batsman of all time, used bats produced by Sykes throughout his career. in 1929, shortly after Bradman scored the then highest First-Class innings of 340 while playing for New South Wales at the Sydney Cricket Ground, Sykes signed him up to help promote what became known as the Don Bradman bat, or the Autograph bat.
William Sykes was joined in the business by his sons H. O. Sykes and W. O. Sykes. Early in the 20th century, Wm. Sykes & Sons merged with other sporting manufacturers, eventually becoming part of the Slazengers Sykes Gradidge and Ayres organisation.