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"A BOUTIQUE Victorian cricket bat maker is declaring his struggling innings closed.
Lachlan Fisher, owner of Fisher Bat & Willow in Williamstown Rd, Kingsville, said his bats could not compete on price against a wave of cheaper mass-produced bats imported from India.
He has hit the domestic bat manufacturing industry for six, describing it as “shot”.
Mr Fisher, 60, has plied his trade for 20 years and made nearly 15,000 bats by hand from highest-grade English and Australian willow.
His custom bats cost up to $600. Indian manufacturers also use imported English willow, but their labour costs are a fraction of his.
“It’s very hard to compete with the cheap Indian imports because their margins are huge,” he said.
“The willow costs are the same for both of us but the big companies in India will buy 40,000 blocks of willow and they pay people $2.50 per bat to make them plus the handle. Three hours’ labour for me is $150.
“So I need to sell more bats — but the problem is I’m not selling many bats.”
Mr Fisher said participation in cricket was also down.
“In England you’ve got soccer in winter and cricket in summer, but here there are so many competitive sports,” he said.
“I used to be taking 10 phone calls a day for bats, but today the phone hasn’t rung once. I could see the writing on the wall three years ago but I borrowed money more in hope.”
With his business premises set to go to auction later this month, Mr Fisher will relocate to Camperdown in regional Victoria as he considers his future.
“If someone likes the idea of buying the business, I’m out of here,” he said. “It’s very physical activity.”"
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Topic: Fisher Bats - Australia (Read 20344 times)