Custom Bats Cricket Forum
Equipment => Bats => Topic started by: Silver Bullet on June 13, 2017, 12:01:57 AM
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Now I know many people have used a bat that a Misbah or Bell or another pro handed down to a club cricketer who handed it down to a bat affictionado, but I'm always reminded of a quote from Haydo's biography when I hear such stories, Haydo writes "Andrew Symonds’ simple theory on bats is that there are three types: those you use in a game, those you use in the nets – and those you probably wouldn’t use yourself, so you give them to fast bowlers and tell them how good they are."
Now I'm sure pro's get all sorts of bats, from the absolute guns to decent bats that are not good enough for international cricket. My belief is that no player would ever gift a bat good enough to use in a match to anyone.
So my question is, has anyone here ever had the opportunity to tap up or net with a "real" pro's bat ? If so, how much better were they compared to the "guns" we buy off the shelf or get one of our custom makers to build ?
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I recently started to use a Pro bat. I just touched 2 balls and both of them went out of the stadium. I haven't been playing for last few weeks but from first week of July, I will be going back. I am so excited to use that bat.
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I recently started to use a Pro bat. I just touched 2 balls and both of them went out of the stadium. I haven't been playing for last few weeks but from first week of July, I will be going back. I am so excited to use that bat.
Any chance of some pics ;)
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i currently have two in my possession. both have had a little work done in terms of repairs.
i have used one briefly and havent noticed any difference to the h4l i use in terms of performance. hopefully i can use it a nit more and maybe notice the difference.
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yep, used a handful of players bats, lucky enough to play with some amazing players,
they do ping better in my opinion but more the middles are that much bigger, low density and all that jazz
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Yup. I have a few.
I used one regularly for 4 seasons and a well timed push ("just a push" described by the batsman on the other end, once) would result in a boundary. It is nearly 2-12 bat picked up 3-4 ounces lighter. I have retired because it has seen its days - delaminated in the middle with lot of cracking on the edges and I can't be bothered to repair it. I am contemplating if I should get a copy made of that bat and not just shape but also replicate the swing weight, balance point, etc. Bloody thing is that good!
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These
http://custombats.co.uk/cbforum/index.php?topic=40418.0 (http://custombats.co.uk/cbforum/index.php?topic=40418.0)
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My current match bat is a current county players bat. The player has played for England and
Used this bat in an ashes test. @tom line recently refurbished it for me.
It goes very well and the main difference I've noticed is the size of the bat for the weight.
Weighs 2lb 9oz and is not a small bat at all.
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These
[url]http://custombats.co.uk/cbforum/index.php?topic=40418.0[/url] ([url]http://custombats.co.uk/cbforum/index.php?topic=40418.0[/url])
How were these? As good as hoped?
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One word. Awesome!
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I have one of James Taylor a few fro Tom alsop yes there good but I would suspect they would be being match used.
If it not been used by said player then in truth it a reject and therefore I doubt any better
It's all in the mind you know if a player bat been used in games comes to you normally it been through a process and you know it a decent bat.
But if you don't know one end to the tother it not a pro bat you will need
Even had a rejected Trott bat because it was a few mm out in his handle set.
I'd agree on average they tend to e a bit bigger than your average bat but average pro get shop bats unless they go white label
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Oh an once used one of Gary ballance slazenger (thank you b3) man that was a great bat all wrong and too heavy but man it went well
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I've used 2-3 match used one, went very well but not noticeably better than the best bats I've owned, all were pretty big for the weight. Main thing was you still had to middle the ball with them, edges and place and misses went to exactly the same place as they would do with a SD Kashmir number.
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@jamielsn15
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Managed to get my hands on a couple thanks to county crickets playing for my club, they tend to be a lot softer and huge for the weight, both have performed wrestle well but I agree it's all a mental thing
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Have used a couple of admittedly bats that pro's had rejected, or had breaks and needed a small repair. They were not noticeably better, but because a pro had used them, there was an increased confidence in using the bat.
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I've heard stories of pros scoring thousands of runs with Grade 2s and 3s bought from sports shops. I'm sure Dave will back me up on this.
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I've heard stories of pros scoring thousands of runs with Grade 2s and 3s bought from sports shops. I'm sure Dave will back me up on this.
Was it Michael Vauhan who picked up a GM from a shop on his way to a ashes test match, as his had broke the day before
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Reckon many of the H4L's and Keeley customs that people get on here are better than what the average pro gets.
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Reckon many of the H4L's and Keeley customs that people get on here are better than what the average pro gets.
Wouldn't be surprised, didn't get to bat with it but had a pick up and tap up of a county pro issue GM last year and it really wasn't anything special. Nice bat, but wouldn't have used it over my personal favourites.
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Reckon many of the H4L's and Keeley customs that people get on here are better than what the average pro gets.
Definitely agree with this!
As stated a long time ago, most pro players go on the feel and pickup of their bats! As long as they are pressed ok, their main reason for picking a bat is more about how it feels!
When you consider that the average Pro faces 80-85mph balls (and sometimes a tad quicker) then surely even edges will fly to the boundary!
At our level the response (or ping) is a lot more important as we need to generate our own ball speed as the bowling tends to be a little slower than 85mph :(
What I am trying to say is that most pros are likely to be looking for different qualities in a bat than most of us are looking for!
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Everyone one should choose a bat on pick-up and feel really. But I can understand why you might not if you were a *cough* collector.
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* But I strongly disagree with the 'ping is more important at a lower level' statement.
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I completely agree with Pete. When you are facing 85mph or a spinner bowling at 50mph, being comfortable at the crease and timing is much more important to most players than bat size. Doesn't take a lot of wood to ramp that speed or to send one rocketing through the covers.
In my personal experience, the only difference between my old sponsorship bats and my off the shelf bats is the overall pressing (Among the three brands I have used) and, in my opinion, this tends to make pro bats that bit bigger.
The "Pro" bats tend to be softer pressed and, generally, do not get knocked in. They are used as "Ready to go, out of the packet" bats, but tend to be smashed to splinters after a season of use and need some serious TLC or binning at that point. However from what I have seen, if you are on TV, you will get the better looking wood, or lower density willow, as beauty and size are the key marketing points in the cricket industry (as well as others!).
The "normal" bats are harder pressed and need more time to open up and play their way in. This tends to elongate the life of the bat and therefore provides less of a risk to the batmaker of returns and the usual issues related to retail sales, while being more cost effective to the consumer.
Ultimately, the "optimum" life of the bat is probably the same, though if I am paying £200-£500 for a bat, you can bet on your life that I want one that lasts longer! If I am not paying... Happy days!
However, I may just be tight!
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Have seen & used a lot of aussie pro bats , got ducks with both a marto & punter bats , have also run down the pitch laughing at how far the ball went , they have all been beautifull , the one constant is how they were damaged by international games , all had depressions from balls , they are indeed big & light compared to shop bats , but they do not last , the price for playing the best cricket & facing 150kmh bowling
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Soft press = ready to go - really now?
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Soft pressed actually means overdried is what some of the above seems to suggest.
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Soft press = ready to go - really now?
Softer pressed, in relation to "retail" pressing, would facilitate the bat to be closer to its optimum performance point out of the packet.
Soft pressed actually means overdried is what some of the above seems to suggest.
Not always. A lot of companies use overdried willow to get the density they are looking for these days. I'm not sure how the drying process would relate to the pressing process here. However, the drying process will have an effect on the longevity of the bat, just as soft pressing would to the edges and impact zone.
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Here we go...
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Softer pressed, in relation to "retail" pressing, would facilitate the bat to be closer to its optimum performance point out of the packet.
What's the science/reasoning behind this line of thinking?
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* But I strongly disagree with the 'ping is more important at a lower level' statement.
Didn't make it clear! What I was trying to say is that most people at non-pro level tend to see what the response is like and the feel and pickup is secondary.
I personally try to go by feel and pickup knowing that majority of bats I get tend to perform anyway. Although I am by no means a quality player, especially on current form :(
But if you had of asked me a few years ago, and if you would ask a number of players, then they would be prepared to play with a bat which is a couple of ounces heavier than they would normally use in order to have a canon of a bat! Whereas the pro players would not sacrifice that feel!
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Pros are only gonna get a choice of the best willow in the batmakers eyes.
You'd be stupid to hand a brand ambassador a plank
Look at some of the bats on TV , not only do they perform well, but most look stunning too
My lad played cricket with Tom Bruce over the winter, and he's sponsored by kooks,,but he 'paid' an Indian supplier to make him three bats which he then stickered up
My son said the Indian bats were unreal,,picked up like a feather and pinged the length of the blade.
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a choice of the best willow in the batmakers eyes
This. I'm sure pro bats are great but their skill level is a multiple levels above ours. Also how does the batmaker rate a bat? Didn't Millichamp claim bats with 7-9 (or similar) grains perform the best? Saw the recent pics of Younis Khans' bat and there were less than 10 grains.
Yet we see people claim 'Pro Bat' on cosmetics...
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When it comes to looks Pro's will get what they want for the most cases I presume, whether that's better or not is no different to those of us who swear by 7/10/150 grains, heartwood, osv.
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I've netted with a NZ international bat before. Yes, it was bloody good, but it wasn't magically better than any other bat I've had, either custom made, or off the shelf. I guess the pros get to reject the planks (whereas in my experience, an amateur would plod along for a bit hoping it 'opens up'), but I don't think the pick of the pro bats will be better than the pick of what is mere mortals are able to get hold of.
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As stated in your initial post even within international teams guys swap, share & get jealous of each others bats. Some of the bats in that arena are truely a phenomenal, others are good but not as magical as you would expect. As Symonds said the bowlers tend not to get the best of the best but still better than anything shop sold.
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As stated in your initial post even within international al teams guys swap, share & get jealous of each others bats. Some of the bats in that arena are truely a phenomenal, others are good but not as magical as you would expect. As Symonds said the bowlers tend not to get the best of the best but still better than anything shop sold.
It is sad that as a forum we don't have that level of access to such bats. We are a minority group that hasn't broken thru that "glass cieling". We are Hillary Clintons of the bat world. :D
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I've heard stories of pros scoring thousands of runs with Grade 2s and 3s bought from sports shops. I'm sure Dave will back me up on this.
very very true.
let you bat lose moisture and watch the seem mark come back
soft pressed my (No Swearing Please).
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its all in the mind
doesn't stop us getting or lusting
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Slightly off topic but my old coach was David Houghton once borrowed my fairly inexpensive Kookaburra for practice & a net and gave it back with a big smile & told me it was a cracker
He might just have been being nice but I reckon the pros scream most things out of the middle & it's more about feel for them.
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it all about feel and pick up to them they tend to trust and if there a bit duff we end up with them
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I've heard stories of pros scoring thousands of runs with Grade 2s and 3s bought from sports shops. I'm sure Dave will back me up on this.
Like Shane Watson and his Flare 303?