Custom Bats Cricket Forum
Equipment => Bats => Reviews => Topic started by: PunterPonting on February 02, 2009, 02:46:15 PM
-
At last the review you have all been waiting for...
As I mentioned a while back I was in Australia over Christmas and decided upon the death of my Laver (cracks down both shoulders :'() it was time for a new bat to keep my Nixon company. Having read Gilly's autobiography and heard his sterling comments about Julian Millichamps work, combined with the reputation Julian has through out the cricketing world, it would have been stupid not to get a Screaming Cat! Anyway I headed out to Daylesford (2 hours from Melbourne in country Victoria), to Julians shed - perhaps the coolest shed in the world - to get the bat made up.
(http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb79/gusdudey2k/IMG_1906.jpg)
(http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb79/gusdudey2k/IMG_1909.jpg)
(http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb79/gusdudey2k/IMG_1917.jpg)
As many of you will know I do like quality bats, but I am very picky. In recent times I have had a Fusion, a XXX2 and a Laver Comet which have all had to find new homes. I had settled on my Laver Heritage after knocking it in and using other bats for a whole preseason, but when meeting with Julian my worst fears were confirmed - the Laver was heading for bat retirement. Julians shed contained everything a cricket nut could want - sufficient memorabilia (including signed stuff from Gilly, Taylor and Beavan) and a large collection of bats and clefts from current and former stars. Having previously had over 3000 clefts in over a year (when at Puma) Julian is today pretty much providing only for the niche market of custom made bats, and thus he reckons he only does about 1000 bats a year, all from willow he personally chooses while visiting England in the early months of the year. Interestingly while picking the cleft to be used for my bat I was introduced to recognizing storm damage in a bat, something which can reduce a bats lifespan to only a few knocks and can only be picked up by sometimes faint dark tinges in the willow.
As one of the first customers to visit Julian in his new spot I felt rather privileged, and heard stories of all the cricketers Julian has made bats for (including the not so great cricketers - C-Dog haha). I choose a couple of clefts I liked the look of and then was swiftly told that Julian grades his bats entirely on his mallet tapping, so I might as well not bother! Having choosen what hopefully will be the biggest gun ever to be unleashed on an unsuspecting club cricketer such as myself Julian preceded to make the bat up in front of my, while I amused myself in the shed. The whole process was pretty incredible, as I'm sure many of you will know, but it was particularly cool as I was watching my bat be made by the same bloke who in recent times has made bats for 10 of the 11 cricketers in an Australian XI! The finish on the bat itself is one of the nicest things, seeing it go from roughly shaped wood to smooth bat is pretty impressive.
(http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb79/gusdudey2k/IMG_1914.jpg)
The stick itself is ridiculous. It weighs in at about 2.9, but in all seriousness it feels quite similar to my 2.65 Laver. Its the biggest bat I've ever used, and I know some of you have big bats from the subcontinent with 38mm edges but this has to be one of the biggest custom made bats (eg made in England and Aus and not to dried out) I've seen. My Nixon is the same weight, and probably only has a slightly smaller spine height, but the edges are not even comparable. The cats' are 31 mm, but this stays at about 30mm 5cm either side of the middle, so its pretty big. As Pete (gooner31) said today when picking up these grips from me today, you just know that its going to go. The finish on the bat is lovely, and the stickers are really very nice - the lower grade bats with different colours to the professionals yellow are perhaps even cooler...Julian also said that if I was the put the bat in a radiator spine down I would be able to lose a fair bit of weight from the back without doing any damage at all, in fact he said he often did it with bats. The only thing was he said be careful not to put the face near the radiator so as not to lose any moisture from there.
Julian was a top top guy, a real pleasure to buy a bat off (as everyone who has had a Screaming Cat has said). I had a fantastic day out there, which makes the bat even more exciting as every time I make runs with it I can think of where its come from and the whole story behind the bat.
Here are some more pics:
(http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb79/gusdudey2k/IMG_1036.jpg)
(http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb79/gusdudey2k/IMG_1037.jpg)
(http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb79/gusdudey2k/IMG_1038.jpg)
-
Great review, great shed and an opportunity not to missed I'd imagine.....
I think I see the laver in the 3rd picture....
Scary dog!!!!
-
Nice review wish there were more reviews like that! Whats the Fusion doing in the third pic?
-
Looks a quality place and a lovely bat.
-
Whats the Fusion doing in the third pic?
That's the Laver!
Refurbed by Fusion from memory but I was checking myself....
-
lucky git! got any more pics of the workshop punter?
-
another beauty from julian, i would get one if were not for the exchange rate being so crap
-
That's the Laver!
Refurbed by Fusion from memory but I was checking myself....
Norbair, you wonderful source of knowledge you... (he's correct)
-
lucky git! got any more pics of the workshop punter?
Yes I do have a few others but I'm not sure they will interest you as they are really just shots of me and the fam with the workshop in the background. ill check the camera and see if there are any more I've missed..
-
Norbair, you wonderful source of knowledge you... (he's correct)
Not really I vaguely remember you telling me at the club
Anyways any more good nuggets from the man himself about bats, grading, pressing etc and what the heck is his tapping up mallet he uses for grading... does he whack it and then listen intently!!!!
-
Looks great mate, have to say though im not to sure about the bat on a radiator :S
-
what bat on a radiator?
-
what bat on a radiator?
Julian also said that if I was the put the bat in a radiator spine down I would be able to lose a fair bit of weight from the back without doing any damage at all, in fact he said he often did it with bats. The only thing was he said be careful not to put the face near the radiator so as not to lose any moisture from there.
-
wow that is intresting actualy, might try that with a bat sometime, i suppose the logics there so cant see why not
-
yeah i agrre mate, but i still dont see it doing the willow much good.
-
i wouldnt intend on doing it on a good bat anyway mate, i just ment an old knackered one, would be intresting to see what happens
-
Yeah it was interesting what he said about the bat on the radiator. When he said it I was kind of shocked as it was one of the things I tried NOT to do with my bats, but then again this is coming from the king of bat making who trained James Laver and Bradbury so...I think he even said he might have done it with Gillys..I guess it is also what happens in India to their bats, although they drain the moisture from the face as well.
The mallet norbair is a white plastic one rather than a wooden one, and he says that the sound he tries to hear from a good bat is the same sound as a Screaming Cat (hence the name). This apparently has long been the sound that a good bat makes and is something that he suggested was part of cricket bat making folklore..
-
In India from the factories I've been in they don't take moisture from the clefts before shaping, in fact they often add moisture to the bats because of the warm climate.
With regard to the mallet I recall it being sold by Julian at one point.
-
The mallet norbair is a white plastic one rather than a wooden one, and he says that the sound he tries to hear from a good bat is the same sound as a Screaming Cat (hence the name). This apparently has long been the sound that a good bat makes and is something that he suggested was part of cricket bat making folklore..
You see Talisman I told you there was a method to my madness.....
"Screaming Cat" is an old John Newbery saying, Julian has mentioned - he used to whack 'em and say something like "It's a screaming cat boy, a screaming cat!"
-
So did you give him any particular specs or a bat shape to copy off? Or just let him make something up?
-
hmmm... never heard my cats scream and thought it sounded like a cricket bat
-
After the week I've had it now seems strange to me to see a batmaker standing up whilst making bats!
-
Have you seen the 2 man plane?
-
Yep, not used very often if I'm honest. The guys here though are very skilled, I'm tempted to say as (if not more so) than some of the English batmakers although maybe that is unfair as their styles of making are very different. But to make so many different shapes with only a couple of tools is amazing. I have huge respect for them after spending a few days with them.
-
So did you give him any particular specs or a bat shape to copy off? Or just let him make something up?
I just went with the bat that combined a light pick-up and good profile, rather than opting for one more than the other. Julian basically has 4 'Series' or profiles of bats and when I went in he showed me them all and suggested the Series 1 would be most similiar to my laver