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[Hoover]

What was their most unusual request?

Damien Hirst wandered into the Barn at Bishops Lydeard, and wanted an ugly piece of willow only half made and stamped with 666.  I did not know who he was, charged him 60 quid and sent him on his way.  Apparently it ended up in a gallery in New York.

[Hoover]

Will a G3 cleft ping just as well as a G1 and is there any relation at all between the grade and the performance of the willow?

Ping is not dependent on grade of willow, in our opinion. We believe a good bat maker can make a good bat, regardless of grade.

[Hoover]

Do you have a dog, if so what breed?
No, 2 cats, 7 chooks and 41 silver pearch in an aquaponic system.
Is there a link between grains and ping vs longevity?
In our experience, many grains tend to crack up early, and benefit from a fibreglass facing sooner rather than later.
Is butterfly willow something that should be more widely used?
We like it, when we can get it.  The shops that retail our bats just do not get it though, so these are for direct sales only.
How do you have your tea?
Both coffee buffs, Sally has a pomegranate tea in the afternoon.
In your opinion, what is the optimum number of grains for a bat to have?

We do not think grains contribute to performance, so it is up to the user.

[Hoover]

What tools and equipment could you not live without?
Our beautiful press.
What do you use to finish a bat (sandpaper grit, wax/oil, buffing etc.)?

Grit 80, 180 then 320.  Polished with bone, then buffed with a mop and buffing compund.

[Hoover]

Any jobs going?
No paid positions available.
What's the specs of the best bat you've made
That is my bat (Sally) will post a pic if I can work out how to.
How long should a bat realistically last
It is not a matter of days, weeks or years.  Rather how much use and type of use.  Steve Waugh used a bat that scored a hundred in each innings in a test match, then it broke.  He was happy if they all performed like that. I did ask him to sign it and send it back and I would replace it, but he said he was keeping it for his superannuation.
Are you fans of the big edge and heavy concaving

Some people need that shape to feel good about their bat, we started concaving to take weight out, keeping the edge big helps with balance, we both prefer sensible edges and full body.  I (Sally) always think of David Warner, needing a big looking bat... compensating maybe?

[Hoover]

Can you tell which bats will play best?
When you make a new shape do you do anything approaching testing, or is it just something that looks right?

We always test every bat on the mallet, or hit it up with a ball. Customers must have a throw down in the back of our workshop (no nets, just equipment everywhere, quite good fun)
We sponsor local players only, so they can do loads of testing for us.  Paul and I are a bit long in the tooth to effectively test things out against better bowlers.

[Hoover]

What are your secrets for making a light "big bat" - how do you keep the weight down, where do you take the excess weight from?
There are two secrets to keeping the weight down in a bat;
1. Never reveal all your secrets
2. ___. and then you __________
how to you get the best pick up for a low middled bat?
Pick up is a very personal thing, the Centre of Mass determines pick up, so if you have a low middle, we like to keep the spine high up near the handle to balance it off a bit.
Which pro are you most proud to have made for?
We do not like to say when they are current players, but first name Kumar, the nicest guy playing international cricket in our 21 years, last name starting with Sanga...

[Hoover]

Can you make a bat using the "Golden" number Phi?

Ha thought I'd forgotten about that one didn't you guys 

Paul has checked out of this one! I am very influenced by the Golden Ratio in design work, but not in the dimensions of a cricket bat. I have mucked around with it in CAD but have not felt happy with the result.

[Hoover]

What got you into the industry in the 1st place?
Both being cricketers, Paul needed weight taken out of a bat, so he was exposed to podshaving first. He offered some interest, they offered him a job.  I (Sally) came into it 4 years later, when we started Bradbury, while working a proper job, worked with Paul to muddle through things in the start, then it got busy enough for me to be full time.

What training did you have in regards to it or was it a case on on the job learning?
All on the job.  Did the training for CAD, talked to lots and lots of woodworkers, engineers and cricketers.

With the innovation of CAD/CAM processes do you think this is a positive thing for the batmaking industry?
Innovations such as CAD/CAM has been very positive for us, we use it in many different ways.

Whats the most vital piece of equipment/tool that is in your workshop?
Without a doubt Paul is the most vital TOOL (does it mean the same thing in the UK as what it does here in OZ?)
The press is our most vital piece of machinery.

[Bambooman]

Hello Paul and Sally
Many thanks for answering questions.
Regarding 'bow';
Ignoring the design of press, what do you feel are the merits/trade offs between pressing the bow into the blade versus cutting/machining the curve and then pressing with the curve?
Do you have a preference?

Regards James

[Hoover]

Any jobs going?
What's the specs of the best bat you've made
How long should a bat realistically last
Are you fans of the big edge and heavy concaving

Can't for the life of me work out how to load the Pic of Sally's bat.

[Hoover]

Hello Paul and Sally
Many thanks for answering questions.
Regarding 'bow';
Ignoring the design of press, what do you feel are the merits/trade offs between pressing the bow into the blade versus cutting/machining the curve and then pressing with the curve?
Do you have a preference?

Regards James

James , I have tried to press with the bow already cut into the face and have failed brilliantly every time. We press bats with bows and without bows and to a large degree is about the look and what a batsman feels happy at the crease with. Personally I think a bit of a bow contributes to a lighter pickup.

[WalkingWicket37]

Can't for the life of me work out how to load the Pic of Sally's bat.

You need to upload the picture to an image hosting site such as photobucket, then copy the [IMG] code into the message on here 

[Bambooman]

James , I have tried to press with the bow already cut into the face and have failed brilliantly every time. We press bats with bows and without bows and to a large degree is about the look and what a batsman feels happy at the crease with. Personally I think a bit of a bow contributes to a lighter pickup.

Not wanting to hijack this thread but are you able to explain why pressing with the bow failed brilliantly ?

[Hoover]

Have you ever disagreed with an international player with regards to their bat specifications knowing that the final outcome would be poor performing or poorly balanced bat?
Yes, Craig McMillan (NZ) great bloke, but his idea for a bat was not one we were happy to go through with, we did not do what he wanted, he is still a great bloke, and was happy to use what we thought was a suitable compromise.
Where do you think bat making and design will be in 20 years?

India!