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[Bats_Entertainment]

Found this today in a Wisden Coaching Book (published 2012). Some stuff we'd not heard before? Grade 1 is heaver?

"In senior cricket, 95% of bats made are short-handles, and might be used by batsmen of heights ranging from 5ft 7ins to 6ft 5ins. Long handles put people off because they feel they lose control of the blade. Willow is a natural growing tender, so weight varies from one bat to the next...

The other interesting thing to look out for when buying a bat is the style and grade of the woods on offer, In recent big, light bats have been in fashion. Traditionally the best willow (Grade 1) is made from sap wood (the lower part of the treewhere there is moisture in the wood). This makes for stronger more durable willow, but because of the extra moisture the bats tend to be a little heavier.

To accommodate the trend for bigger bats, bat-makers have starting using willow from higher up the tree (Grade 2). This allows them to make big bats with bigger hitting areas at lighter weights, but because the willow is drier there are more breakages. A batsman might find they get better value from a bats with a slightly smaller back."

[Bats_Entertainment]

No thoughts on this, anyone? Salix know their stuff, surely?

[TopShot]

This makes me wonder if cleft grading is different than bat grading. That quote from salix makes it seem like G2 clefts are the ones being used to make the huge grade 1 bats. I could be wrong just my take on it.

I'd much rather go with a bat that's going to last me longer than a huge beast of a thing which only last a season and a half. That probably won't be a popular sentiment on this forum though. Lol

[Chad]

Salix do know their stuff, and if we are saying that G1 clefts should be only all sapwood, then what they say makes sense. However, we know this isn't the case, as the grading standard that each company uses is different, and quite often inconsistent.

Trees get narrower as you go up, therefore the grains are tighter, but you also get more heartwood. (G2) Also, you would assume that there is more water retained lower down the trunk due to gravity, which supports the theory that there is more moisture in the wood.

Was interesting, I remember SAFbats saying that more grains means the wood is more dense, however, Salix and Gray Nicolls both say that grainier clefts tend to be lighter. That threw a big spanner in the works, as I used to follow Norbs' blog, which was interesting to read, but I know who I would trust more when it came down to the properties of willow.

[dilscoop]

truly incredible, felt like Sherlock Holmes reading that from Salix.

[The Palmist]

I thought grains were just to do with age of the tree.

Right, so where does the performance grade fall in all of this.

[Neon Cricket]

Right, so where does the performance grade fall in all of this.

The bank...

[WalkingWicket37]

Right, so where does the performance grade fall in all of this.

I think it's used as fertiliser, as its a load of (No Swearing Please)!

[Beachcricket]

Was interesting, I remember SAFbats saying that more grains means the wood is more dense, however, Salix and Gray Nicolls both say that grainier clefts tend to be lighter.

Technically the grains are denser but I think what they're referring to is the Sapwood holding more moisture and being therefore heavier not denser.

[sl1988]

density is mass over volume. if its heavier density is higher?

[Beachcricket]

density is mass over volume. if its heavier density is higher?

I completely agree with this if every cricket bat was a fixed volume and Willow was a consistent material.

Bats_Entertainment - Would it be possible to send me a photo of that snippet? I'd like to write about this.