Right, this is my first review on here, so I thought i'd write a review on my two new Spartan bats for this season - purchased online from the Greg Chappell Cricket Centre.
First ImpressionsBoth of the bats have 11-12 straight and even grains, with one having a strip of heartwood approx 1.5-2 inches in width running down the outside edge (I'm a leftie). No blemishes on either face. I have had the bats faced, toe guarded and knocked in, and have already used one in a game (hence the ball marks!).
Bat SpecsBoth bats weigh 2'9 (this is the weight that I like) as ordered, so after preparation they are probably now 2'10. The middle is mid to low, which is great for me as I am a dominant front foot player - first instinct is to press forward, and on the pitches we have here in NZ, usually the bounce isn't that steepling to warrant a mid or high sweet spot. The edges are 40mm and spine 61, with a very full profile (practically no scalloping). The profile is very nice, with a lot of wood taken out of the shoulders to create that full shape lower down, and there is a pronounced "duck bill" toward the toe. The bats have thin handles, that are round at the top but semi-oval for the bottom. This allows me to get a really good top hand grip, and it feels like I can really hit through the ball. I'm experimenting with the thinner handle and think it does feel nicer in the hand. The pickup is awesome - previous editions have felt a bit more bottom-heavy, however these are much more balanced and improved (probably due to a greater duck-bill than previous models).
LooksThis season's edition feature redesigned stickers that do away with the sky-blue of the previous seasons and introduce a darker navy blue, which I think looks a lot better. The stickers also have an interesting texture to them, a matte-finish which is quite a departure from most brands who have glossy and metallic finishes to theirs. I think the design looks very crisp, however one flaw is that the arrow on the back spine does not finish right up to the edge. The bats come with a single blue yellow Spartan grip, however I have chosen to take these off and put a single white chevron grip on each bat to really keep the handle thin. Overall the new scheme makes for a very good-looking bat, and it stands out from the other brands.
PerformanceAs I have used one bat already in a match, I can give a little insight on the performance of these bats. My initial net, the bat felt a bit flat and dead, however a good session of throw downs and spin bowling helped finish off the knocking in and the bat began to really ping. It has that lovely soft feel when you hit it out of the middle, and the ball rockets off without any vibration at all. When timed well, you can't even feel that you've hit the ball!
Against the new ball, the bat performed well, and the thin handle gives you the feeling that you can put more power in your shots because you have more control over the face of the bat. Obviously with the duck-billing, if you hit the ball low, it's not going with anywhere near the same power, but once I got used to the slight difference compared to my old Spartan, I quickly found the middle and geez does it ping.
I did get out to a full toss, that I ended up hitting on the very corner of the toe. The impact did cause the wood to crush, and a small crack to appear across the outermost grain. However the ball flew and ended up safely in the hands of the deep mid-wicket fielder on the boundary 60-odd m away. If only I had hit it cleanly, it would have been a lot further than that!
OverallOverall, I am very happy with the bats, and have used Spartan for the last few seasons. The bats ping extremely well, and are everything you would expect in a Players Edition bat. In saying that, you need to know what to expect when you are dealing with this kind of willow - it is soft, and it is very light for it's volume. Therefore you cannot expect the durability to be great (there is a reason why pros have 5-6 bats at any one time). As an opening bat, preseason sessions on the bowling machine at 80mph, moving into practicing twice to three times a week, then playing against the new ball every Saturday against good fast bowling (75+), I would expect the bat to last at most a season (hence why I have two). I would expect the performance to peak after two-three months of cricket, and taper off by the end of the season. The thin handle is also likely to develop cracks at some point due to the usage. If you are prepared to accept this, then there should be no issues. These bats are really for high level club cricketers that take their cricket seriously, rather than the social/lower grade cricketers who would want perhaps more durability from a harder bat and not so bothered about the performance of the bat over the course of a season.
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Topic: Spartan MC LE 2015 (Read 3008 times)