Cricket equipment – preparing your bat

Your bat is an important piece of cricket equipment and it should be prepared properly before you play

Giving your bat a long life

To make sure your bat has a long life, you shouldn't use it competitively for at least two weeks after buying it. In that time you need to oil it and 'knock it in'.  You’ll need a teaspoon of raw linseed oil to oil this piece of cricket equipment – don’t be tempted to over-oil it as this can be damaging. Allow the oil plenty of time to soak in and leave the bat in a horizontal position.

For 'knocking in' you’ll need another type of cricket equipment, either an old cricket ball or a special bat mallet.  ‘Knocking in’ rounds the edges off the bat and helps the fibres of the wood to compress and produce a stronger barrier. Start 'knocking in' by gently working on the edges and gradually knocking them into a rounded, compressed shape.  Once you get started you'll soon see the change in texture.

English Willow

Most bats are made from English Willow which by nature is a soft fibrous wood, with a “honeycomb” type cell structure. English Willow is perfect for the manufacture of cricket equipment because of its natural moisture and its ability to be pressed in the manufacturing process to give great ball striking qualities. Starter and particularly smaller Junior size bats tend to utilise more lower priced Kashmir Willow which is harder and therefore more resilient but generally gives less ball striking satisfaction.

If you plan to upgrade your cricket equipment, cricket bat blades are graded as follows:

• Grade 1 – This is the finest Willow, the cleft will be unblemished with tight straight grains, and there may be a small amount of red wood running along the side of the blade and small knots in the back or on the edge.
• Grade 2 – This is a very good quality cleft with tight straight grain but having small visual blemishes or a larger area of red wood, neither of these slight defects will affect the blades performance.
• Grade 3 – This blade will have more colouration and visual blemishes, again these will not affect the bats performance. In many cases this willow will be bleached to make it look more attractive.

Because the ball is considerably lighter (and somewhat softer), indoor-cricket bats need not be of the same quality (or cost) as outdoor bats. Most players seem to prefer a light bat, although many outdoor players use their outdoor bat for indoor-cricket. It is obviously a matter of choice as to which piece of cricket equipment you prefer.

Sports HQ is the European division for Confidence Sporting Goods, inc., the famous manufacturer from Palm Springs, California. We sell a huge range of sporting equipment, including cricket equipment. Because we sell directly to you, you can expect to save up to 70% on normal retail prices when buying from us. Call us today on 01527 598388 for more information or to place an order.