After my last visit to David at Norfolk Bats about 6 weeks ago, I agreed to take a rather special bat off his hands. This bat was the only butterfly he had as a trial to see if his Pro players fancied a go. None of them had taken it so I offered to take it off
I got the full custom treatment when I was there last night, picking from profile shape through to stickers and grip. This was my first custom bat and I thought the experience was fantastic, being involved during all stages of the process.
I decided on using the Michael Clarke profile as a template for the bat, with the finished article pretty similar to the Spartan range from memory. The idea was to keep a decent sized edge and spine, while keeping as much wood in the 'hitting zone' as possible.
The handle used for the this bat is rather special, designed especially for a cricketing legend. It offers a larger amount of flex compared to a standard handle so will be interesting to feel the difference when using it.
The butterfly stain gives the bat some real character, with 10 straight and even grains prominent through the blade and toe. This bat would easily be grade 1 without the butterfly stain.
The performance of the bat feels excellent considering it hasn't been knocked it at all. Both with a ball and mallet, it feels responsive across a large area and makes a lovely crack when tapping it up. It certainly has that x factor that makes you want to feel bat on ball.
To some up the experience, I loved my time spent with David, who has a wealth of experience in the industry. It was a pleasure to speak about all things cricket and learn from a master. The beauty of reviewing the bat at all stages of shaping has created a bat that feels great to pick up. Even the little bits, like the double binding on the bottom half of my grip and the pink stickers give that personal touch.
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Topic: Norfolk Cricket Butterfly Bat (Read 2688 times)