Great question Tom. I have had this discussion time and time again with my bat maker partner. We believe it is an industry that would benefit from an accreditation system. Here in Australia, we have a self appointed cowboy that runs a five day course and bang! You are a bat maker. We would fully support an international association that can be a voice for the industry, as opposed to ex players positioned on committees within the MCC making statements they have no right to make. The true craftsmen (and women) are under massive threat from garage, or bedroom brands that are sticker brands and essentially dilute the role of the crafting in the industry. These cowboys are motivated by the success of the large marketing companies that use the cricket bat as a billboard for tv exposure by presenting themselves as a cricket brand. We believe an accreditation system will protect the craft from extinction, sort the cowboys from the crafters and give credit where credit is due. Establish actual apprenticeship standards. Most importantly, be a voice for an industry under huge economic pressure from an almost blackmarket economy of unstructured sticker brands. The question is then asked, who is in a position to establish this body?
Author
Topic: What makes a batmaker? (Read 8169 times)