English Willow Cricket Bat

Details

A short handle bat pressed from Grade 2 English willow, six to nine straight grains across the face, with the small blemishes and butterfly marks that Grade 1 rejects and that make no difference to how it plays. We would rather sell honest Grade 2 at this price than Grade 1 at twice it. The handle is twelve-piece Sarawak cane with three rubber insertion strips, spliced into the blade rather than glued into a socket. A spliced handle can be cut out and a new one fitted by any bat repairer, which is the standard repair a well-used bat needs at some point. A socket-glued handle usually cannot. It arrives lightly pressed and needs knocking in, six hours with a mallet over two weeks, before it faces a hard ball. We include the mallet. The face will mark and seam-print. That is the bat doing its job.

• Grade 2 English willow, six to nine straight grains, natural blemishes
• Twelve-piece Sarawak cane handle, three rubber insertion strips
• Spliced handle, replaceable by any bat repairer
• Semi-oval profile, mid-to-low sweet spot, 38 mm edges
• Toe guard fitted, anti-scuff face sheet supplied loose
• Knocking-in mallet and a spare grip in the box
• No fibreglass wrap hiding a low grade, no socket-glued handle