JANDGCRICKET.COM - Bat Care and Maintenance

 

Your cricket bat will crack, it is made from a soft fibrous piece of wood which is subjected to being struck by a hard ball going 60mph+, it will not be invincible.

Your CE Bat has been handcrafted from the finest grades of English willow by a highly skilled bat maker.  Willow is a natural product and needs to be carefully and thoroughly knocked in so that the lifespan of the bat is fully maximised.

The price of the bat reflects the quality of the materials and the skill that has gone into producing the bat, this still means that the bat is susceptable to abuse or neglect.

All we ask is for the following guidelines for the care and maintenance of your bat to be followed :

OILING AND KNOCKING IN

1)      Apply a light coat of oil to the face and edges of the bat taking care that you don’t oil the splice as this will weakens and loosens the glue.  DO NOT over oil the bat as it has a detrimental effect to the performance of the bat. The oil fills the gaps in the fibrous wood and makes the natural sponginess of the willow disappear.
2)      Strike the face and edges of the bat with a wooden mallet, it is not sufficient to hit a few balls before the game or in the back garden!  Patience is a key when knocking in a bat, the same amount of time should be taken to knock the bat in as it has to produce the bat.  Gradually increase the force of the striking to the playing area of the bat.  The edges and toe of the bat should never be struck at right angles as this is likely to cause damage to the bat. 
3)      After 2 – 3 hours of striking the playing area of the bat progress onto giving catches and fielding practise with an old ball.
4)      Finally start using the bat in a net session against good quality old balls.
5)      Under no circumstances should the bat be used in match conditions within 2 weeks of purchase.  Taking your time using it will prolong the life of the bat meaning you will maximise the enjoyment of using it.

ANTISCUFF

Here at CE Bats we feel every bat should have an antiscuff sheeting applied.  This is a self adhesive clear sheeting made from a tough, flexible plastic based sheet, the one used at CE Bats is also used in the protection of panels in the aerospace industry.  They are used by the majority of County and Test players, a strip of fibre tape is placed down each edge of the bat to give the edges a bit of protection.

Using this protection has reduced the damage of bats by around 10%, this is used in conjunction of knocking in, it makes sense to protect your investment.

MAINTENANCE DO’s AND DON’T’s

Once the bat is knocked in and you have started using the bat, proper care and attention will increase the durability and life span of the bat.

DO

• Store the bat in a cool moist place, the ideal place is in a garage.
• Use antiscuff, I can’t think of an excuse not too!
• Do use something to protect the toe of the bat.  Here at CE Bats we use Shoo Goo.
• Get any damage checked, if a minor crack appears this can easily turn into something major if not treated.  Contact us for advice.

 

DON’T

• Store you bat in a warm place, keep the bat in a room where the temperature doesn’t go over 60 degrees Fahrenheit. 
• Leave your bat in the boot of the car, on a hot summers day there isn’t a worse place to leave it.  We all do it!
• Leave the bat in a cover, it needs to breathe
• Don’t bang your bat constantly on the ground, this will cause the fibres to peel away
• Stand or leave you bat in wet conditions as this will draw moisture into the blade and swell the toe, when it dries it will generally split open underneath.  If your bat does become wet, allow it to dry out slowly and if required lightly run it down and give it a light coat of oil
• Use your match bat for indoor nets, the floor is too hard and will cause more damage than good.
• Lend your bat to anyone else.

 

At the end of every season, you can either send the bat back to us for a refurb or remove the antiscuff yourself, give the blade a good rub down and oil the bat ready for storage over the winter.