Custom Bats Cricket Forum
Companies => Off-the-shelf companies => Woodworm => Topic started by: Ayrtek Cricket on January 01, 2016, 10:45:08 AM
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Discuss? look cutting budgets with Ali, Carbs and now Bell cut loose?
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Woodworm, I thought Bell would've gone to a bigger name than that.
Maybe they've decided to try and conquer the market again (but I can't see them replicating the sales of 2005 somehow)
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Neither can i unless some young england talent went to them and won us the ashes... Or has that happened?
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Thats a really strange move from Kooks, So their going to roll with Buttler as their marquee England player? It's a fantastic signing for Woodworm though!
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Bell is gone.
Comptons test back performance means no3 won't be for him. And unsure where else he bats for England.
Carbs is done internationally to.
Ali? As much as many don't rate him, he seems to be sticking around the international seen and for some time. Can't believe look voluntarily released him. But what do I know.
Strange as kook have a decent range in the UK for the first time in a while. But who do they have to promote it here?
Buttler? Who else?
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Bell is gone.
Comptons test back performance means no3 won't be for him. And unsure where else he bats for England.
Carbs is done internationally to.
Ali? As much as many don't rate him, he seems to be sticking around the international seen and for some time. Can't believe look voluntarily released him. But what do I know.
Strange as kook have a decent range in the UK for the first time in a while. But who do they have to promote it here?
Buttler? Who else?
Darren Stevens? Haha :)
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Add ABD to that internationally too. Kook without marquee players for England, Australia and South Africa moving forward. Gotta be a conscious decision.
You don't lose all of those players to better contracts if you want to keep them...
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I know one of he Overton siblings was using their kit last year. Im sure that in each county set up there will be one or two running with kook.
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I was given a woodworm bat from a current county opener through a contact in September, they're fantastic bats
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Bells deal expired with kook yesterday. His renegotiation period started just as he was dropped. He was offered a vastly reduced package with presumably a sliding scale if he got back in the team
I'd say Kook had all the cards and he's called their bluff. Bad move in my opinion. Woodworms been a bit of a graveyard brand for a while
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Bells deal expired with kook yesterday. His renegotiation period started just as he was dropped. He was offered a vastly reduced package with presumably a sliding scale if he got back in the team
I'd say Kook had all the cards and he's called their bluff. Bad move in my opinion. Woodworms been a bit of a graveyard brand for a while
Woodworm are local to Belly and he knows the guys there. Makes sense to me, despite not playing for England he's still a huge name to have on the books. This will help there sales massively
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I was given a woodworm bat from a current county opener through a contact in September, they're fantastic bats
It's like anything though, if their retail bats are ordinary they still won't sell and from what I have seen they are very ordinary.
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Is Bell a drawcard now?
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Given his age and being dropped money has to be the main driver in this
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It's like anything though, if their retail bats are ordinary they still won't sell and from what I have seen they are very ordinary.
I've not seen any lower end ones for a while, I got very lucky with the one I was given
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Bad news for kookaburra. All seems bizarre to me as Jos Butler is now there flagship player for England but not using their flagship range (Kahuna).
Even worse news if the Duke will be the universal ball for all formats.
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Woodworm are based in Redditch just down the road from Birmingham. They have plenty of bats in their warehouse so I'm sure he'll be able to find some gems there. However I think they're all Indian made as they have some CA bats in when I was there last.
I'm sure Hawk used to make his bats before and theyre only a short drive away from woodworm , might they be making them for him as I do not know if Woodworm have a bat maker as such.
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Id be amazed if he used a woodworm made bat!
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Perhaps the lure of his own range was the main driver if he gets a % of everyone sold.
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May be woodworm has bigger plans of a comeback.
Kook is definitely loosing lot of players
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Kookaburra is really losing its market share in the Australian team, besides a few bowlers, I can't recall very many players using them. Used to have Langer, Ponting, Hussey etc.
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My favourite story about woodworm bats was that Simon Jones put puma stickers on one of KP's bats in the 2005 ashes.
AOC magazine ran a feature on borrowed kit recently
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Slightly off track but linked to borrowing kit. I watched the rerun of Gilchrist's cricketing greats on sky the other day. Langer was being interviewed and saying how much of a set of cricket badgers Ponting, Hussey and he were yet Gilchrist could go and smash the ball around with anything he picked up. Really interesting insight into Gillies' approach and huge talent. Oh and somewhat reassuring that a lot of pros are just a OCD as the rest of us about their bats and kit.
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Slightly off track but linked to borrowing kit. I watched the rerun of Gilchrist's cricketing greats on sky the other day. Langer was being interviewed and saying how much of a set of cricket badgers Ponting, Hussey and he were yet Gilchrist could go and smash the ball around with anything he picked up. Really interesting insight into Gillies' approach and huge talent. Oh and somewhat reassuring that a lot of pros are just a OCD as the rest of us about their bats and kit.
Same was also said by Wasim Akram about Inzamam. He would pick like Mushtaq's bat or his bat and go out there and score runs with it.
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Apparently Sangakarra does it to.
He's been going through players bags and tries them and then tries to acquire them if they go.
Apparently he had a few of dan Christians, then after the game vs strikers, sent him into there changing room to try and acquire one of chirs Lynn's bats.
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Hawk made his bats when he was with Adidas. I expect that's what will happen again and Woodworm will be paying him to have their stickers on them.
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Too be frank woodworm are a terrible brand, they would've been much better served investing in a better product line and website tbh, paying Ian Bell loads of money to use there kit is it going to help them! Maybe they have big plans for 2016 as some have mentioned. Seems unlikely though
On a side note I thought kp and flintoff had "life time" deals!?
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On a side note I thought kp and flintoff had "life time" deals!?
They had Lifetime Deals with "old" Woodworm.
I think when they went bankrupt the deals were gone.
With the "new" Woodworm it's just the name (and to an extent the branding) being used, but for all intensive purposes it's a new company.
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They had Lifetime Deals with "old" Woodworm.
I think when they went bankrupt the deals were gone.
With the "new" Woodworm it's just the name (and to an extent the branding) being used, but for all intensive purposes it's a new company.
Intents and purposes?
Sorry, another petty pet hate, up there with things being 'top draw'
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Intents and purposes?
Sorry, another petty pet hate, up there with things being 'top draw'
Your spot on there ;)
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You can add 'Shoe in' too.
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Your spot on there ;)
You're* if we're being like that :-[
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Again the Irony Bird flies over the heads of the masses!
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Again the Irony Bird flies over the heads of the masses!
Birds couldn't be made of iron, they'd be much too heavy to fly..?
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Woodworm wasting money on a player who's international career is over. Great business logic...
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Depends what they are paying him with all the Worcestershire connections there and if Bell gets in the England team ...
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I don't know for sure, but an England(current) player with sponsorship would be vastly different in numbers than and an Ex England player simply due to the coverage so it won't be the kind of deals offered to KP and Freddie back in 2005.
No one knows for sure if Bell is actually ex-England but it looks likely right at this moment he won't get back in to the side anytime soon.
The real big fees are saved for the likes of Root/stokes, prob Cook etc......
The average County Pro I don't believe earns anything like some might believe from sponsorship......
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Again the Irony Bird flies over the heads of the masses!
Wish my bird done the ironing more often.
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1st ABD, then Ali, and then Bell, who' s next?
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1st ABD, then Ali, and then Bell, who' s next?
Seems like Kookaburra is content sponsoring Australian players. It's about time they left some space for other players to enter the sponsorship world. Kook is the one of the brands where most players were using their stickers on some custom made bats.
GM should jump at this chance and sign up IB. I am sure he will be in contention for the test series against Pakistan and Sri Lanka. If he performs well he might even make it to India tour end of the year.
Very exciting year ahead for Eng cricket.
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Maybe kook are clearing the decks to go after some current top players who are with other brands? ABD imagine they wouldn't want to lose but the others I imagine isn't going to cause to much concern
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GM should jump at this chance and sign up IB. I am sure he will be in contention for the test series against Pakistan and Sri Lanka. If he performs well he might even make it to India tour end of the year.
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Don't see why Bell would be considered for a recall. Even if Hales/Compton/Taylor flop, there's Ballance waiting in the wings. Also Buttler can come in as keeper and Bairstow can play as a batsman.
Latterly Bell is a terrible player of spin so selecting him for a tour to India would be a waste of time.
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Picture this bell scores big runs in 2016 Hales flops as opener Compton moves up to open bell comes back into the England team sponsored by Woodworm bell then becomes a Coup signing for Woodworm
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Did you not see hales bowl today? Greatest allrounder since ben stokes. He's going nowhere
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Picture this:
Bell scores big runs in 2016. Hales flops as opener does fairly well as an opener, scoring a couple of 50's and a 100, but as is the policy for England openers, gets dropped after a series or two for averaging less than 75. Compton moves up to open bell Ballance comes back into the England team to bat at 3, while Ian Bell, who is now sponsored by Woodworm, gets a free holiday if he agrees to carry the drinks for his former teammates
I've made a few tweaks with what I thought was more likely to happen. You heard it here first ;)
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Don't see why Bell would be considered for a recall. Even if Hales/Compton/Taylor flop, there's Ballance waiting in the wings. Also Buttler can come in as keeper and Bairstow can play as a batsman.
Latterly Bell is a terrible player of spin so selecting him for a tour to India would be a waste of time.
I have a soft corner for Ian Bell and I wish he gets a decent send off. Dropping and dumping shouldn't be the way. Give him one test match and tell him he is retiring with this one. Let him walk gracefully of the field and let the spectators have one last chance to see him in action.
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I have a soft corner for Ian Bell and I wish he gets a decent send off. Dropping and dumping shouldn't be the way. Give him one test match and tell him he is retiring with this one. Let him walk gracefully of the field and let the spectators have one last chance to see him in action.
it'd be a nice sentiment but ultimately it's professional sport not a charity - he's hardly a legend of the game just one of many good test cricketers
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yeah that does not happen anymore at the highest level unless you really are a legend like Sachin,sanga,ponting etc.
Bell is a very good player but nowhere near great in the world game or for England.
I would be loathe to write him off totally thou, you never know what might happen in the future,he is only about 33 I think.
He is at the back of the que now thou with younger guys coming thru more hungry that he is to play for England.
Compton is in Bell's old slot now and is he doesn't work out(I really hope he does long term) there is still Ballance.
England would not of taken Ballance on the tour unless they wanted him back around the team....so he may be next in line too..
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yeah that does not happen anymore at the highest level unless you really are a legend like Sachin,sanga,ponting etc.
Bell is a very good player but nowhere near great in the world game or for England.
I would be loathe to write him off totally thou, you never know what might happen in the future,he is only about 33 I think.
He is at the back of the que now thou with younger guys coming thru more hungry that he is to play for England.
Compton is in Bell's old slot now and is he doesn't work out(I really hope he does long term) there is still Ballance.
England would not of taken Ballance on the tour unless they wanted him back around the team....so he may be next in line too..
I guess there were many chances were ECB could have mentioned that this is his last run. Against WI right after the world cup, Ashes against Australia, Pak tour at UAE. They could have easily told him in one of those series that he is looking at this end run ...
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yeah that does not happen anymore at the highest level unless you really are a legend like Sachin,sanga,ponting etc.
Bell is a very good player but nowhere near great in the world game or for England.
I would be loathe to write him off totally thou, you never know what might happen in the future,he is only about 33 I think.
He is at the back of the que now thou with younger guys coming thru more hungry that he is to play for England.
Compton is in Bell's old slot now and is he doesn't work out(I really hope he does long term) there is still Ballance.
England would not of taken Ballance on the tour unless they wanted him back around the team....so he may be next in line too..
He is almost certainly back of the queue now, there's a lot of middle order batsmen gagging for a shot at test cricket, Roy, Ansari, Vince to name a few, who I wager would now be above Bell in the pecking order.
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I agree with the points raised above but who would have thought Compton could get back into the squad? If he makes enough runs in the county circuit his name cannot be dismissed (unless you're KP but lets not open that can of worms again :) ) Also age is no barrier as proven by M. Hussey and A. Voges so he has every chance of playing for England again all be it with very low odds to his name.
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Have to agree. Given his age and lack of form it would need a Ramprakash-esque run of form in county cricket, i.e. averaging in excess of 100 consistently and for all those ahead of him to fail badly. I don't think he'd be considered before the winter when he'd be 34.
The England team is moving on. Unlike the aussies there's seems to be an aversion to picking older players, it was one of the reasons given for not bringing KP back in. Sadly I do think Bell's played his last test match.
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I agree with the points raised above but who would have thought Compton could get back into the squad? If he makes enough runs in the county circuit his name cannot be dismissed (unless you're KP but lets not open that can of worms again :) ) Also age is no barrier as proven by M. Hussey and A. Voges so he has every chance of playing for England again all be it with very low odds to his name.
Chris Rogers is another example. But Aussies are willing to give them a run, however England aren't ...
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Chris Rogers is another example. But Aussies are willing to give them a run, however England aren't ...
It isn't so much that they've been willing to give them a run as that they haven't had many young alternatives.
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It isn't so much that they've been willing to give them a run as that they haven't had many young alternatives.
Usman Khawaja is an alternative option to Rogers. Was Usman injured during Ashes ? Or was Rogers performing better at county level ?
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He is almost certainly back of the queue now, there's a lot of middle order batsmen gagging for a shot at test cricket, Roy, Ansari, Vince to name a few, who I wager would now be above Bell in the pecking order.
James Vince of Hants is a good shout, he's a very good player with a sound technique to bat uptop......probably doesn't get enough County runs, as in massive hundreds consistently.....but England picked Tresco and Vaughan with very 'average' averages...Compton also has not scored massive in the last 2 years.So presume that wont stop him,he also has a good limited overs game.
Ansari also pretty sure England want him in and around the team soon....
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Usman Khawaja is an alternative option to Rogers. Was Usman injured during Ashes ? Or was Rogers performing better at county level ?
As an Opening bat?
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Usman Khawaja is an alternative option to Rogers. Was Usman injured during Ashes ? Or was Rogers performing better at county level ?
Khawaja got a run and failed before they turned to Rogers.
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As an Opening bat?
Yes .. Usman as opener, but edge pointed out the reason ..
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Rogers was selected after Ed Cowan failed to secure the openers slot coupled with the late Phillip Hughes being moved into the middle order. Khawaja was never an opener. He missed the 2015 Ashes as he was recovering from a career threatening knee injury.
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My favourite story about woodworm bats was that Simon Jones put puma stickers on one of KP's bats in the 2005 ashes.
AOC magazine ran a feature on borrowed kit recently
http://www.alloutcricket.com/cricket/features/the-ten-borrowed-kit (http://www.alloutcricket.com/cricket/features/the-ten-borrowed-kit)
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The Woodworm owner has close ties to Warwickshire as mentioned and with Bell getting to the end of his career and with the big money he was on at Kooka and England he will not be short of money and is probably using Woodworm to help out a friend but I would assume he will still be paid rather handsomely as Woodworm owner is very wealthy.
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Wasn't there talk he'd have his own range? If so, perhaps a re-branding across the brand? certainly needs it...
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Wasn't there talk he'd have his own range? If so, perhaps a re-branding across the brand? certainly needs it...
Own range at Kookaburra or Woodworm ?
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Own range at Kookaburra or Woodworm ?
The latter...
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Ian has posted a pic of all his new Woodworm kit, Blue and Yellow colour scheme
https://twitter.com/Ian_Bell/status/706829139999850497
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Looks good.
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Cooo! - he gets round the manufacturers doesn't he!
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really nice colour scheme and I like the big woodworm thing on the back as well
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Are you sure? It looks like something the kids would play with in the sand?
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Pads and gloves look very SS, I think the colour scheme is good and striking enough. Woodworm will be hoping since he's a recent England player that his stature sells gear.
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Fit!!!!
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bring back the Torch!!!!!!!!!
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Quite like that branding! Not sure about the choice of grip though
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Quite like that branding! Not sure about the choice of grip though
He'll be sticking 2 white octopus grips over the original grip anyway
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(http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160307/00e32755ddc8913f5e20645feaaf0ab5.jpg)
For thise that dont like clicking links
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Horrific!
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Pads and gloves look very SS, I think the colour scheme is good and striking enough. Woodworm will be hoping since he's a recent England player that his stature sells gear.
+1 ... Gloves remind me of SS limited edition model.
Woodworm could have gone for a better design of stickers on the bat though ... Looks decent.
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I strangely quite like the range, softs look very decent quality
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I had a waft with one of these a couple of weeks ago. I wasn't massively impressed. The bat maker told me he had pressed them very soft, which i read on another thread on here, doesn't happen.
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Not a fan of the softs. Bat looks decent though
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I quite like the look of the range, especially the pads.
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+1 ... Gloves remind me of SS limited edition model.
Woodworm could have gone for a better design of stickers on the bat though ... Looks decent.
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That was my first thought too!
Construction/design looks identical to me (i've got two pairs of the SS LE), different colour scheme though.
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Ian bells kook pro sausage fingered gloves at works not made by the same people/place as the ss sausage fingered gloves.....
So he probably gets sponsored woodworm gloves at the same place. And I doubt they'd be available to the public either. We'll get a generic split(probably a copy of h4ls)
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I had a waft with one of these a couple of weeks ago. I wasn't massively impressed. The bat maker told me he had pressed them very soft, which i read on another thread on here, doesn't happen.
I think when they say softer pressed they mean liighter pressed
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For what it's worth I think the new range looks quite pretty. Any idea what sort of price point the new woodworm stuff is aimed at or if any of the sponsors are looking to stock it?
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I think when they say softer pressed they mean liighter pressed
And what would be the difference between softer and lighter pressing..? ???
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And what would be the difference between softer and lighter pressing..? ???
the chap said, you will need ten of these to get through a season. Whatever the meaning, he was saying he pressed them differently.
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Are all imaginary men described as "HE" ??
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We'll get a generic split(probably a copy of h4ls)
Shoot them!! How dare they copy
🙈🙈🙈🎣🎣🎣🎣🙈🙈🙈
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the chap said, you will need ten of these to get through a season. Whatever the meaning, he was saying he pressed them differently.
What he's referring to is the bats will come to life quicker but will break more easily as bats sold to the public are pressed to maintain warranties.
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Like that if I'm honest, decent kit and like the colours of the kit
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Thats not what he said though.
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People don't half spout some (No Swearing Please) about pressing on here...
Have any of you ever spoken to an actual bat maker about it? ???
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I am not sure if he would really care about pressing of the willow. If the bat breaks Ian is anyways going to get a replacement that he wants ...
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People don't half spout some (No Swearing Please) about pressing on here...
Have any of you ever spoken to an actual bat maker about it? ???
Well...yes and no.. .I dialled the number for Taunton but ended up in a call centre in Bombay that wanted to fix my internet connection.
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Well...yes and no.. .I dialled the number for Taunton but ended up in a call centre in Bombay that wanted to fix my internet connection.
Was your connection storm damaged and without any guarantee?....
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People don't half spout some (No Swearing Please) about pressing on here...
Have any of you ever spoken to an actual bat maker about it? ???
Im fairly confident i was clear. I was telling you what the bat maker of those bats said in his workshop
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People don't half spout some (No Swearing Please) about pressing on here...
Have any of you ever spoken to an actual bat maker about it? ???
Often Cam often.
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Im fairly confident i was clear. I was telling you what the bat maker of those bats said in his workshop
Is that Lord Voldemort? Down at hogwarts wood work shops
He who shall not be named!!
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People don't half spout some (No Swearing Please) about pressing on here...
Have any of you ever spoken to an actual bat maker about it? ???
Always confuses me - every time a batmaker comments about pressing or pro bats it's always the same story, yet the same old contradictory TV commentator lines about supposedly softer pressing get parrotted endlessly.
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Soft pressed bats tend to delaminate very early in there life, edges and face cave in. In general the bat just does not last. SF made big light bats last year that had minimal concave weights around 2lb 8oz 42mm edges. The year before they struggled to produce medium concaved bats with 40mm edges less than 2lb 10-11 oz. The result of this was bats literally disintegrated at the edges the face caving in, one bat split down the middle. SF were good in that they replaced them, but just shows under pressing and over drying does not work. BDM on occasion can be very soft especially bats with around 6-8 grains as they tend to press all there bats the same. The bats with more grains tend to feel a little firmer and better in my opinion. The best pressed bats coming out of India are BAS they have a nice balance and tend to be very consistent in terms of performance. Manufacturers struggle with trying to meet consumer demands of large edges and big profiles, which leads to inferior products been produced.
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I think Matt has developed the perfect balance between performance and durability rather than concentrating on large edges he makes bats that are well balanced and perform well. The edge and spine are more than generous but at the same time are not the main aspect of the bat. This will hopefully be mirrored by many more companies and will become the way forward.
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Seems a bit unreasonable to accuse me of lying about a conversation. They even mention "softer pressing" on their website.
I've read B3's article saying it was a myth, which is why his comments surprised me.
Happy for people to disbelieve me, I have no reason or need to prove it.
I won't comment further as I have a game of Quidditch.
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I believe you mate, the head wand maker at ollivanders told me victor Krum and the other pros loved a soft press too.
Gives them more whip on there "Expelliarmus"
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Seems a bit unreasonable to accuse me of lying about a conversation. They even mention "softer pressing" on their website.
I've read B3's article saying it was a myth, which is why his comments surprised me.
Happy for people to disbelieve me, I have no reason or need to prove it.
I won't comment further as I have a game of Quidditch.
If you follow Twitter you will see the Gray Nicholls workshop agreed with us ie Chris King who i would say makes quite a few pro bats too...
However if you want soft pressed crack on
Also ask the makers on here too why would you want soft pressed ???
Ok streaky does not make any pro bats and he just makes it up ???
I and you can get exactly the same bats as any pro look around this forum has more stunners than any kit bag of most pro's.
Some ask for soft pressed because they have not got a clue most of em!!!!
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This has got me thinking maybe a demo time.
Back on topic i personally like the kit looks nice fresh colours too.
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Here you go for people who missed it
http://www.cricketbatblog.com/2015/10/17/cricket-bat-pressing/ (http://www.cricketbatblog.com/2015/10/17/cricket-bat-pressing/)
I have been lucky to knock in a current Ginger England players bats in the past and i can tell you they where stiffly pressed and one even had a little butterfly stain under the back sticker.
When your facing 90mph a "soft pressed bat" is going to break and very quickly. Do not mistake overdried bats with soft pressed over dried bats do mark quite a bit even though they have been pressed normally too.
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I think it is a case of avoiding extremes. Too soft is obviously no good as the bat wont perform and certainly wont last. Too hard and it will last but certainly wont perform. There are varying degrees in between these two extremes. BAS and H4L are certainly not too soft but they are definitely not hard and in my opinion are the best pressed bats I have currently had the pleasure of using. The pressing of a bat is what sets different manufacturers apart as they all have there own take on what makes the perfect pressed bat. It is down to what the bat maker thinks is best. If there was only one way to press a bat then all bats would feel pretty much the same.
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Anybody could press a bat (if you had the right tools, i.e. a press) but if you press the bat correctly you will turn an average bat into a good bat, a good bat into a great bat and a great bat into an awesome bat. Obviously I am not going to tell you how we do this, and every bat maker will (should) believe that their pressing method is superior but what we look to do to is press to a point that the face only marks very slightly when struck with wooden mallet. Pressed any less, then we will see a decrease in performance noted above and face cracks are likely to occur and any more will probably result in face delamination.
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Exactly my point if there was a definitive way to press a bat then all bats would be pressed the same. The fact that there are varying degrees to which a face of a bat is pressed shows that it is not an exact science. The reason being as you have stated before each piece of willow is different. So a good bat maker will learn how to get the best from each individual cleft. Unfortunately when pressing bats on a large scale it is hard to set the press up differently for each cleft. This leads to the press being set to a level where it will provide a good level of pressing across a range of clefts. This leads to varying degrees of hardness depending on the natural structure of the willow. Bats with fewer grains tend to feel softer as they have more moisture in the willow. Bats with more grains tend to feel firmer as the willow has less moisture as the tree is older. Both bats have likely been pressed exactly the same but feel completely different. Pressing a bat has to be one of the trickiest things to get right.
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Exactly my point if there was a definitive way to press a bat then all bats would be pressed the same. The fact that there are varying degrees to which a face of a bat is pressed shows that it is not an exact science. The reason being as you have stated before each piece of willow is different. So a good bat maker will learn how to get the best from each individual cleft. Unfortunately when pressing bats on a large scale it is hard to set the press up differently for each cleft. This leads to the press being set to a level where it will provide a good level of pressing across a range of clefts. This leads to varying degrees of hardness depending on the natural structure of the willow. Bats with fewer grains tend to feel softer as they have more moisture in the willow. Bats with more grains tend to feel firmer as the willow has less moisture as the tree is older. Both bats have likely been pressed exactly the same but feel completely different. Pressing a bat has to be one of the trickiest things to get right.
Very true your words pal.
Have you ever pressed one ???
theory in words is easy but actually being behind a press is another thing and understand i'm no expert at all not like a couple i know anyway's.
I do not think pressing is complicated at all time consuming if done right which your right if your not gang pressing all clefts the same which most don't in the Uk.
It is nice to talk about willow and pressing and handles we should do more on this forum as long as it informative and true.
Back on to the woodworm topic wonder if that range will be released as is to the public???
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Not to side track i understand the industry very well and understand Gang press very well.
Question to your answers is simple yes we do press every bat individually because it takes the same length of time normally and in my experience is not just of B3.
We have one press because yes thats all we need currently but we can save time in other areas (CNC) as for time well it can take anything from 5-15 minutes really mate. And how many are we producing we sell quite well for a newly formed brand. Nothing compared to the Indian boys but we have had Jatin in sharing his knowledge and passion before and a few others. I agree you can tell gang pressing a mile off.
Your right about the willow mate different clefts need different pressing but how we press thats a B3 secret. (Infact it is not your more than welcome as anybody is to come and see a bat being made as many have).
Biggest difference and major time saver in pressing is we will test after every pass where gang pressers tend not to.
Maybe Bell likes them softer who knows but pressing is no dark art as people think i'm more worried about handle quality and fitting than anything else in truth but thats me and i'm no expert.
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Seems a bit unreasonable to accuse me of lying about a conversation. They even mention "softer pressing" on their website.
I've read B3's article saying it was a myth, which is why his comments surprised me.
Happy for people to disbelieve me, I have no reason or need to prove it.
I won't comment further as I have a game of Quidditch.
Not aimed at you mate, don't worry! Can't blame you for reporting things you were told. What exactly did the mystery bat maker say though? 'They won't last very long' or 'we've pressed these really softly?'
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Here you go for people who missed it
[url]http://www.cricketbatblog.com/2015/10/17/cricket-bat-pressing/[/url] ([url]http://www.cricketbatblog.com/2015/10/17/cricket-bat-pressing/[/url])
I have been lucky to knock in a current Ginger England players bats in the past and i can tell you they where stiffly pressed and one even had a little butterfly stain under the back sticker.
When your facing 90mph a "soft pressed bat" is going to break and very quickly. Do not mistake overdried bats with soft pressed over dried bats do mark quite a bit even though they have been pressed normally too.
interesting article this thanks for posting not all of us had seen it previously.
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Here you go for people who missed it
[url]http://www.cricketbatblog.com/2015/10/17/cricket-bat-pressing/[/url] ([url]http://www.cricketbatblog.com/2015/10/17/cricket-bat-pressing/[/url])
I have been lucky to knock in a current Ginger England players bats in the past and i can tell you they where stiffly pressed and one even had a little butterfly stain under the back sticker.
When your facing 90mph a "soft pressed bat" is going to break and very quickly. Do not mistake overdried bats with soft pressed over dried bats do mark quite a bit even though they have been pressed normally too.
Is it just me or is there a repeated paragraph in the article above? Can you see this Dave? @procricket B3
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Exactly my point if there was a definitive way to press a bat then all bats would be pressed the same. The fact that there are varying degrees to which a face of a bat is pressed shows that it is not an exact science. The reason being as you have stated before each piece of willow is different. So a good bat maker will learn how to get the best from each individual cleft. Unfortunately when pressing bats on a large scale it is hard to set the press up differently for each cleft. This leads to the press being set to a level where it will provide a good level of pressing across a range of clefts. This leads to varying degrees of hardness depending on the natural structure of the willow. Bats with fewer grains tend to feel softer as they have more moisture in the willow. Bats with more grains tend to feel firmer as the willow has less moisture as the tree is older. Both bats have likely been pressed exactly the same but feel completely different. Pressing a bat has to be one of the trickiest things to get right.
Couldnt have explained it better spot on.
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Hi Dave I was just sharing my knowledge, it was not originally aimed at any one in particular, but then you started commentating hence I asked a few questions regarding the B3 set up. The reason I asked whether it was feasible for you guys to hand press each cleft specifically to that piece of willows requirements, is due to the scale of your operation. I thought this may be deemed too time consuming? So on average 4 bats an hour so lets says 28 bats a day based on an average 8 hour day, taking breaks and lunch in to account. That is good going.
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Back on topic...........!!!
Ian Bells kit is lovely!
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I wonder IF and when the general public are able to buy this stuff, not that I'm wanting any of it just with regards to Pros getting gear that the average Joe can't buy.
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There is no mention of IB anywhere on Woodworm's website - you'd think they'd be all over it??
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I think websites take a while to update, you need new photos and possibly a redesign and if you're changing things all the time it can become time consuming especially for a small company. I'd imagine that they'd have an updated site ready for the start of the UK season.
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They'll definitely be selling the range to the general public - why on earth would they shell out to sponsor him otherwise...
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I think the question was whether or not the exact same kit would be made available to the general public, or would they produce a lower quality generic design for mass production.