cricket bat care

[deeps]

was just wondering how eveyr1 here conditioined their new cricket bats for match conditions... ie, any special ways they found helps... in which order, how they oiled, rolld or knocked in...how long they spend, how they oil,knock in etc etc etc.

u get the idea

 

[luckyeddie]

was just wondering how eveyr1 here conditioined their new cricket bats for match conditions... ie, any special ways they found helps... in which order, how they oiled, rolld or knocked in...how long they spend, how they oil,knock in etc etc etc.

u get the idea

I used to buy a bat every 2 or 3 years - usually in the autumn of winter to give me something to do on those cold winter nights when Blankety Blank was on the television. More often than not, though, I ended up 'knocking in' other people's bats for them.

1 used to 'prepare' the surface of the bat with a bit of a rub with very fine sandpaper, just to 'lift' the fibres a bit. Then two coats of linseed oil a day or two apart before the 'knocking-in' process.

I used an old cricket ball for this purpose (I made a mallet out of one attached to a short handle via a bolt all the way through the ball) - DO NOT USE A HAMMER. You can buy a bat mallet if you don't want to make your own.

Start by systematically hammering the centre of the bat - LIGHTLY, 2 or 3 hundred times. Start right in the middle, move up and down the blade, moving outwards. When you come to do the edges, turn the edges towards you and hammer them directly - do not do it at right-angles or you might split the wood.

Next day, same again. Keep doing it every day for a fortnight but each day, slightly harder than before. As you get nearer the end of the fortnight, you can concentrate more and more on the 'sweet spot' - the part where the wood is thickest.

I would then leave the bat to 'rest' for a fortnight before starting the whole procedure all over again (without the oiling). 5 minutes a day, 2 weeks on, 2 weeks off right throughout the winter. After 3 months of this, have a go with it in the nets (esapecially if your club has a 'bowling machine' ).

At the end of the season, I would sandpaper and oil the bat again, but not bother with the knocking-in again (hardly worth it in my case - I seldom hit the ball anyway). A note on seasoning or oiling the wood - apply linseed oil (or equivalent) sparingly. No more than 3 coats a year. Too much oiling will make the wood spongy and deaden it.

 

[DJ]

In SA we have machines to knock the bats in. We're very 'state-of-the-art' we are.

 

[marc71178]

A machine cannot give the same care as a human.

 

[deeps]

In SA we have machines to knock the bats in. We're very 'state-of-the-art' we are.

yup, we have them in WA as well..and probably everywhere else..but theren's nothing like doing it yourself...knocking it in exactly how much you want...

 

[Swervy]

When you come to do the edges, turn the edges towards you and hammer them directly - do not do it at right-angles or you might split the wood.

I was always told to never 'knock in' the edges of a bat...all confused now

 

[Langeveldt]

1. Dont buy from Romida (****y)
2. Dont buy from Romida
3. I reccomend B&S in Thornhill SA.. Absolutely brilliant service and I think mine is indestructable I think a lot of bat problems are to do with storage because ive seen huge variations in the same bats...

Make sure you get toetek too....

Why should you not use a hammer eddie??

 

[PY]

I was always told to never 'knock in' the edges of a bat...all confused now

I think we have just discovered why Australia are heads above the rest at cricket.

If it hits the edge, the ball falls to the floor along with some willow.

In all seriousness, I have been told both way. I've been told that I shouldn't knock in the edges because you can cause damage through being over-zealous with it. Also been told to knock in the edges because you'll lose the bat otherwise because any edges will crack the willow along the edge for some distance.

Not sure which one is better so I cautiously knock in the edges but not too much.

PS I'm interested in the hammer thing as well because it might explain why my bat went dead after a short amount of time after I used a mate's cricket hammer.

 

[Neil Pickup]

I only ever knock in the edges as they're the only bits that get used.

One reason why I'll never get one of those Woodworm bats..

 

[Scallywag]

Extratec (clear plastic covering) over the batting surface and edges and wipe linseed oil over any exposed willow.

Machine roll the bat first it does a much better job than a mallet but gives you no satisfaction.

Reapply linseed each year and replace extratec as required (yearly).

Dont leave in the sun and make sure to keep bat dry.

 

[luckyeddie]

Why should you not use a hammer eddie??

The simple answer to that is that a hammer is made of metal and has too small a head.

 

[krkode]

Even the best-prepared bat cannot a great batsman make.

 

[deeps]

The simple answer to that is that a hammer is made of metal and has too small a head.

lol, and would leave dents in ur bat.. i think every1 thought you said don't use the bat mallets... i was just wondering if anyone has tried a rubber mallet? i've heard that it's good..but I don't want to try it without a second opinion

 

[THE G-TRAIN]

I was never told not to knock in the edges, so i think i spent a fair bit of time knocking them in. In the end they were not only the best preserved part of the bat, they also scored me alot of runs. I would come home each week with a few cherries on the edge after the ball had rocketed off the edges down to the boundary. Probably the best edges in the country...Come to think of, maybe i shouldnt be so proud of this! Moral: Knock in the edges. It would be better to prepare the edges by knocking them in with an old ball a slow pace, than seeing a chunky crack in the bat, or chunky piece of bat fly to slips, off the opening bowler with a new ball.

 

[Langeveldt]

The simple answer to that is that a hammer is made of metal and has too small a head.

Haha.. Mad I meant a wooden bat hammer...

 

[luckyeddie]

Haha.. Mad I meant a wooden bat hammer...

That's a mallet - and they're great. I just prefer the idea of using one with a leather coat (aka a cricket ball).