Cricket bat preparation

Why prepare a bat before use?

Willow is essentially a collection of natural fibres which during the manufacturing process is shaped & pressed to facilitate the functionality of a Cricket bat. Being a natural fibre moisture content is key to performance & longevity as well as compressing the outermost fibres to make them more robust against impact. By preparing a bat properly you are able to reduce the effect that the environment has on a bats moisture content & improve resistance to impact. Remember that due to the natural properties of willow, regardless of preparation, minor structural changes will occur from the very first use & this fair wear &tear will build up over time.

How do I prepare a Cricket bat?

Preparing a bat properly takes time, so please make sure to plan ahead to get the preparation in before play. There are 3 key stages to preparing your bat.

1:Oiling – to condition the fibres & improve pliability. 2:Protection – Applying fibre tape to edges & Anti-scuff sheet to the face. 3: Knocking in – continues to compaction of the outer layer of fibres to improve resistance against impact.

Oiling:

Linseed oil has been used for centuries to help condition the fibres of a cricket bat. It helps preserve the natural pliability of the willow fibres,for performance & resistance to impact & reduce moisture ingress. Every bat will have it’s individual need for oil so experience is key to ensure that it gets enough. Too much oiling will make the fibres soft & degrade the performance.

When applying the oil use a soft cloth or kitchen paper, ensuring you give a generouseven coat to the face & edges of the bat keeping away from the splice. Use a lighter coat of oil on the back. Once applied allow 24-48 hours for the oil to cure & you will notice the grain becomes more visible & the willow appearsslightly darker. Carefully inspect the bat looking for a smooth finish &feel but not sticky.

Apply a very light second coat to the face & edges only & allow to cure for 24-48 hours. Again, you are looking for the smooth finish & check for any rough spots which indicate another coat may be required. Be very cautious, it is very rare for bat to need more than 3 coats so if you are unsure stop! you can over oil a bat which makes the wood soft & can cause rotting, greatly reducing the performance & longevity of the blade!

Protection:

Once the oil has fully cured leaving a smooth glossy finish it is time to add some extra protection to the designed hitting area& edges of the bat. This extra protection will not affect the performance of your bat in any way & should reduce the impact of fair wear & tear from the ball& moisture ingress.

Firstly, we apply fibre tape to the edges from just below the sticker line to the toe ensuring that half the width covers the other half wraps around the edge. Cricket bats are designed to accommodate the basic functionality of the game & as a result the shoulders, edges & toe are the thinnest parts of a cricket bat. The fibres in the tape help reduce the effects of wear & tear in these areas& give extra strength when the dreaded mis-hit occurs.

Now we apply a clear self-adhesive anti-scuff sheet over the top protecting the face & overlapping on the edges. Line up the scuff sheet to ensure you cover as much of the playing area as possible. Pre-cut sheets usually come with a rounded toe so ensure you line up the sheet before removing the back paper. Once lined up, anchor one end & smooth down on the face first. Then slowly remove the backing paper & smooth out the face ensuring you do not leave any air bubbles. Once you have finished the face you should have some excess which you can now carefully wrap over the edges. Smooth over again with your hand & your bat is ready for knocking in.

Knocking In

Every bat needs 6-8 hours of knocking in starting with a bat mallet. The mallet is designed to replicate the impact of a ball & we recommend at least 1 hour of knocking is done focussing on the edges for using exceptionally light glancing blows from the middle to the outside. Then 1 hour can be spent on the middle which will help further compact the fibres, improving performance & resistance to wear & tear. You can go to hard to soon with the mallet so make sure you gradually increase force keeping an eye on the structural changes to the face.Mild impressions are all part of the process, but heavy ones mean you have gone too hard too soon so soften the blows.

Next you can start playing in your bat but please exercise restraint. Using soft, decent quality cricket balls for gentle throwdowns, keep an eye on your bat, if you notice deep seam marks then this is a sign the bat needs more time with the mallet. Try another hour with the mallet & then try again with soft decent quality cricket balls.