Custom Bats Cricket Forum
Equipment => Other Gear => Topic started by: jblowe on March 02, 2018, 12:08:48 PM
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My mates side are looking to find a new Match Ball for next season. The last few seasons they have used the Dukes Royal County A ball, which is a very nice ball. However the bowlers struggle to keep a shine on it, so they are considering a Lacquered ball. Has anyone got any recommendations?
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Learn how to look after a ball better?
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Waxed wins hands down no contest
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I’ve told our lot to go readers this year
Owen can get them direct from readers apparently
With two broken fingers, I’m not playing unless they get some half decent balls to use
The ones Simon May uses are what I’d consider a proper cricket ball
They shine up properly if looked after, and have a decent seam, and hold their shape well
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Learn how to look after a ball better?
Agreed!!!
A few years back I set up a team which was a mix of West Indians and Pakistani players, we had the best bowling attack in the league.
For the first half of the season we use the Dukes County A ball and the bowlers hated them. As soon as a batsman hit the ball, it would scuff up, and as no one knew how to keep the shine on them, they would stop swinging. All they did was complain, so I ended up using the cheap Pakistani match balls the second team were using. The rest of the season we bowled everybody out within 30 overs, the ball would swing miles.
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Waxed cricket balls are the 'creme de la creme' of cricket balls they are used in the pro game and hold a shine much better IF YOU KNOW HOW TO LOOK AFTER THEM. lacquered balls are shinier to start with but tend to stop genuinely swinging after about 30 overs, they just go from the arm after that also they tend to not hold any shine that you develop on them.
So the long and short of it is, if you've got cash to spare and know how to look after a ball as a team then waxed are the way to go, if not go for lacquer and buy more beers for the team after the game
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As an add on to my earlier points,,after having to have a week off work with the broken finger, I’m more than happy to pay for decent balls to be used.
I can’t afford another week off work due to a hobby,,,it went down like a lead ballon with my company’s owners.
I actually chopped one of our match balls in half, and found it was just re constituted rubber!!
That was it, sat inside a plastic cup.
Absolute disgrace
I won’t say who supplied them, but they obviously know how they are made, and are basically ripping people off supplying these to trusting clubs
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Name and shame the brand, surely?
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Waxed are the best Fearnley do decent ones they start at around £25.00
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All they did was complain, so I ended up using the cheap Pakistani match balls the second team were using. The rest of the season we bowled everybody out within 30 overs, the ball would swing miles.
Do you remember the brand name? What was the price of the balls?
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The ones Simon May uses are what I’d consider a proper cricket ball
Which ones are these? Brand name?
@simonmay5 , how are you sourcing these balls?
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Which ones are these? Brand name?
@simonmay5 , how are you sourcing these balls?
Readers a county crown
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Name and shame the brand, surely?
Nope
If your in doubt, chop open one of your match balls
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We use the readers have used the dukes in past and kookaburra too. I prefer the dukes club 1st XI bowlers prefer readers so that is what we get. 3s and 4s get lacquered balls but they only play 25/30 games.
Lacquered balls are cheaper and will lose their shape and swell up too. At some grounds balls are easily lost so you need decent balls from previous games.
Ps I would be interested in knowing this readers contact!
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Do you remember the brand name? What was the price of the balls?
They were supplied by Hawthorne Sports in Witney, unfortunately the chap has retired. They were popular in the OCA and known locally as the "Clacky" ball (after Gordon Clack who imported them).
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@Buzz, if Kookaburra own Readers are the Reader balls just Kookaburra balls with a different stamp?
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Readers are made in Kent and Kookaburra in Aus.
Not sure what else.
I have always preferred readers since I was at school, they feel smaller in the hand.
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Get hold oh Nathan Searle at Tiflex the Windsor Ball is very good waxed ball
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@Buzz, if Kookaburra own Readers are the Reader balls just Kookaburra balls with a different stamp?
From my experience they are quite different balls. Seam thickness and colour. Readers darker red and agree with buzz feel small in hand. Kooks lighter in colour not overly pronounced seam. They did shine quite well and stayed in shape throughout innings. As I said I prefer dukes. I had a box of the better grade gn they were half decent too again it seems to be quite subjective amongst bowlers they all have their favourites.
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I had a box of the better grade gn they were half decent too again it seems to be quite subjective amongst bowlers they all have their favourites.
I've bowled with a couple of GM balls before and I didn't like them. The seamers didn't seem to mind them but I found the seam was too unpronounced so I couldn't spin it as well.
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Readers are made in Kent and Kookaburra in Aus.
Not sure what else.
I have always preferred readers since I was at school, they feel smaller in the hand.
thanks
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Nope
If your in doubt, chop open one of your match balls
A lot of balls have composite centres now, do they not?
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Ideally they should be four or five piece
The cheap ones are solid re con rubber inside a single plastic cup with a gawd knows crappy outer
Bat and bone breakers
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Readers are physically smaller. Are they still made in the UK or just stamped in the UK?
I've heard these are pretty good for the price... https://www.sportsballshop.co.uk/acatalog/Lusum-Aquilifer-Cricket-Ball-Mens.htm (https://www.sportsballshop.co.uk/acatalog/Lusum-Aquilifer-Cricket-Ball-Mens.htm)
Isn't it about time we had a proper cricket ball database?
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Readers are physically smaller. Are they still made in the UK or just stamped in the UK?
I've heard these are pretty good for the price... https://www.sportsballshop.co.uk/acatalog/Lusum-Aquilifer-Cricket-Ball-Mens.htm (https://www.sportsballshop.co.uk/acatalog/Lusum-Aquilifer-Cricket-Ball-Mens.htm)
Isn't it about time we had a proper cricket ball database?
The good quality readers are still made in the factory in Kent the rest are Indian I believe
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Ok not as sexy as straight grains and oversized clefts but why not have a cricket ball database to help protect that lovely willow?
I did buy some red/white training balls from reputable suppliers which turned out to be rocks. One was Warsop and the other surprising was Uzi. Both were around 12quid each so not the cheapest. I did speak to ‘Uzi’ themselves, they were surprised but also said they have since changed their supplier.
Best/cheapest ball I had was from Sports Direct. They had Slazenger Ultimate’s for £10ea. Wish I’d bought more.
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What is a lacquered ball? What I know, a lacquered ball is polished like furniture, made from hard leather (feels like wood really), no seam/unpronounced seam and is generally considered a bat breaker.
Aren't all leather cricket balls waxes? What exactly is a waxed ball?
Cricket balls and their "grading" is a complete news event to me.
All info appreciated! Merci boku. :)