the majority of club cricketers are paying to sponsor the pro's
that's one of the reasons bats are so expensive
of course it depends whether you always want a brad new bat,how many of us stick with one bat for 2/3 years or buy second hand?
personally I buy second hand bats now,either off this forum or ebay. If you look hard enough you can get a good deal
i'm sure most of us on this forum can do basic refurbs too to make it a decent bat
but each to their own, I see players week in week out buying top end bats,top end equipment and they dont have the ability...but they are happy with a 400 quid salix/m and h/gm/gn bat...
cricket and batting in particular may be in the mind but it's not the bat that scores the runs it's the player..we all want more runs,a better bat but in reality your bat is your mate,it will help you out but ask too much and he(she) will let you down