A greater number of bat makers are springing up on various forums etc which is great to see especially the ones here in the UK and hopefully the art of pod shaving wont die out as times change in the ever changing economic climate. I have a challenge for all the UK based bat makers, basically they put all the skills they have up against the off the shelf type bats.
I'm willing to part with say £125 for a g1 custom made bat, but this challenge isn't really about how much is on offer its more about the quality and skills of the bat makers here in the UK. The challenge is to make a bat to my specs which will be better than any bat i can buy off the shelf, currently i find I'm using what i class Asian type bats with big profiles and a large bow in the blade. I'm finding I'm paying around £130-£140 for this type of bat from SS or Bas and they are very good better than just about anything i have ever bought from a UK maker and at nearly half the price.
I have had custom made bats done for me from various makers from all over the world with differing success, i don't wish to talk about which makers have made bats for me however i will say they have all been good quality and i have not been overly disappointed with any of them. Last season i found myself using a bat which was made by james laver, it was not custom made for me it was one i bought from Mike Brimble and was a g3 bat which he got free with the g1 he bought. It was outstanding in every way and i was lucky as i split my match bat and used the laver which was my brothers.
For people who don't know me I'm 35 years old and a very attacking batsmen who likes to play shots, i bat in the top five or at times slightly lower and i come in to push the score along, i have played at a high level across my years in cricket. My bats are all about performance balance and pick up but performance is paramount to me and i want ultimate performance from the start. I expect to get 1 season out of a bat and if i get more i count it as being lucky. I'm fair and honest about what i like and what i don't. I would test the bat on balance pick up and obviously performance, i never consider stickers or cosmetics in any way. My views will be balanced and 100% fair in every way and i would certainly not use this as a criticism for any maker.
The challenge in a nut shell is simply to produce a bat with great balance pick up and performance, my specs are 2lb 10oz large profile bow blade oval handle but I'm not sure there will be any takers. This is not aimed at picking a bat up on the cheap and it wont ever be sold on for a profit i guarantee it and i could always return it to the maker if he wishes.
Rich
Author
Topic: Pod Shavers Challenge ! (Read 6187 times)