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[prim0pyr0]

Picked up my first new bat in ~15 years after not playing after college, 50% off at sports store bargain $200nzd. was quite different to my old optimum megastrike, the new oblivion e41 had larger edges and concaving etc. had some heart wood on the lh outside edge and weighed ~2lb 6 or 7




Didn't even think about using a face gaurd, they used to be on lower grade bats only and I'd grown up using plain faced oiled bats.. it wasn't that long until there were some cracks and a small piece came off... Also the toe gaurd was a new invention, which hid some minor cracking..




Nothing a bit of pva and clamps couldn't fix!

bit of a sand and good as new!




I got this bat during an easter sale, so in NZ the off season. I used it quite abit in the indoor nets, keen to make up for lost time most likley minimum 4 hours a week against bowling and bowling machine (around 70-80mph (90mph for three balls(the lights timed out and off just as the third fired down the pitch in the dark)))
It wasnt long until another crack started forming, and then a larger chunk this time flew off:



This time more glue, and more clamps! 24hours, sanding, and good to go again!






After more time in the nets I started to observe a trend in bat damage, which was gradually increasing. this was consistent with cbf threads on repairs and the limited life of a bat.






None the less, this was my favorite bat and I'd do anything to prolong it's life. It was also winter, and i had spare time.
This repair require a bit of a donation from my previous gn optimum bat. Used more power tools, and in some ways it was easier to clamp up than small pieces and using the clamps against the curved back of the bat.





bit of a sand, and good to go!






lasted for roughly an hour against the ball machine. the last ball i hit produced a cloud of flying pieces of broken wood and splinters.


I thought about keeping the handle in case i needed to replace on in the future, but it was a cold winter so it all went in the fire

[Ayrtek Cricket]

great thread, amazing the lengths we will go to to prolong the life of our favourite bat.

I retired mine before it ended up like your last photo and it now sits on the shelf next to my desk for me to wave around the office from time to time.

[mkir888]

The one thing that matters is the effort. Only if i had such a talent

[Calzehbhoy]

This is a fantastic thread! The dedication to the bat is unreal!

[Biggie Smalls]

For a while there that bat was like the liquid metal cop/terminator in terminator 2 .... just kept coming back to life !
But , as Arnie said in predator, 'if it bleeds , we can kill it'! 

[Boondougal]

Brilliant thread... possibly sums up the forum more than any other.... well maybe just piped to the post by... my bat has a slight hardly noticeable crack... I think I'll buy another just in case!!!

[Northern monkey]

Great to see a bat used to its full!!

[Mattsky]

I mean, absolutely fair play in persevering with it beyond the call of duty.
But I'm wondering if you knocked it in beforehand, and for how long?
And how big were the cannonballs you were firing at it? 

[InternalTraining]

1. I feel that all bats have an expiration date and fighting to prolong/extend that expiration date is an exercise in fuility.
2. Some bats, regardless of knocking and oiling, show funny signs of cracking early on and break. Bad pressing? Over dried willow? Could be.
3. Laver team member once told me that Bola red balls can damage a new bat - not because of the hardness per se but the consistency of the area hit with those balls especially at high speeds. 

[WalkingWicket37]

3. Laver team member once told me that Bola red balls can damage a new bat - not because of the hardness per se but the consistency of the area hit with those balls especially at high speeds.

If that's the case how long (or short) would the life of a pro's bat be?
What with their continuous netting against bowlers and the machine (and the fact they likely use the middle most of the time) I'm guessing their bats must die pretty quickly

[Chad]

1. I feel that all bats have an expiration date and fighting to prolong/extend that expiration date is an exercise in fuility.
2. Some bats, regardless of knocking and oiling, show funny signs of cracking early on and break. Bad pressing? Over dried willow? Could be.
3. Laver team member once told me that Bola red balls can damage a new bat - not because of the hardness per se but the consistency of the area hit with those balls especially at high speeds.

I always found this to be an odd thing since bola balls aren't as hard as normal cricket balls - they have a point, (based off the relaxation time of the willow) it's just I don't regularly see people breaking their bats on bowling machines. Would be nice if they had evidence to back this up. I've always wondered whether the contact time between the ball and the bat played any part in their view of bowling machine balls.

[Chad]

Also, thanks for this thread, makes me want to repair my trusty SS which I have hit both of my highest scores with.

[hit4six]

Brilliant thread! The final picture came as such a shock that I actually had a little chuckle out loud. It's amazing what we all do to keep our favourite bat going another season!

[skip1973]

I always found this to be an odd thing since bola balls aren't as hard as normal cricket balls - they have a point, (based off the relaxation time of the willow) it's just I don't regularly see people breaking their bats on bowling machines. Would be nice if they had evidence to back this up. I've always wondered whether the contact time between the ball and the bat played any part in their view of bowling machine balls.

Most companies here won't warrant a bat if it has clear signs of over use on bowling machine, delamination is the main issue rather than shattering of bats. Most times with a bowling machine you will hit very close to the same area because you have a good idea of where the ball will be landing, compare a 200 ball innings to facing same amount on the machine and there will be a massive difference in balls hit and where they hit. It's not an issue for people that may face a few buckets once a week, it for people that do it a few times a week every week.

[Chad]

Most companies here won't warrant a bat if it has clear signs of over use on bowling machine, delamination is the main issue rather than shattering of bats. Most times with a bowling machine you will hit very close to the same area because you have a good idea of where the ball will be landing, compare a 200 ball innings to facing same amount on the machine and there will be a massive difference in balls hit and where they hit. It's not an issue for people that may face a few buckets once a week, it for people that do it a few times a week every week.

Thanks @skip1973 for the insight, there must have been an unusual number returns with that problem for companies to adopt that policy. I guess I haven't noticed that problem as I don't see people batting against bowling machines too often here, just don't have the weather to during the Summer or the time to during indoor training!