Topic: B&S Bat Review (Something A Bit Different) (Read 23855 times)

Sivlar13 · « **on:** August 02, 2017, 06:57:54 PM »

As you guys are probably all aware, I have a fair bit of B&S gear and I thought my purchase yesterday was worth a review.

My search for big bats continues and thankfully, as I'm pretty big myself, I usually use weights around 2.13/2.14.

I found this bat and knew I had to get it. Gary told me it was something slightly different to normal. He said he was trailing some willow that had been from Serbia. Basically, English Willow trees had been found in Serbia and chopped down into clefts to ship back to the UK.

Now, the bat. It's big. 45mm edges with around a 70mm spine. It weighs 2.13 dead on but picks up well. The ping is fantastic, something I wasn't expecting to be honest as I was unsure what Serbian Willow would be like. Would be happy to do a ping video if people want to see. Not the nicest of faces, but the response from a cricket ball is super.

A bat that I thought was worth sharing as I'd never heard of Serbian Willow until this week!

InternalTraining · « **Reply #1 on:** August 02, 2017, 07:07:46 PM »

What did you pay for the Serbian willow bat?

Sivlar13 · « **Reply #2 on:** August 02, 2017, 07:14:54 PM »

�100 bud as Gary isn't sure how they'll hold up so just wanted to cover costs first.

edge · « **Reply #3 on:** August 02, 2017, 07:36:26 PM »

Quote from: Sivlar13 on August 02, 2017, 07:14:54 PM

�100 bud as Gary isn't sure how they'll hold up so just wanted to cover costs first.

Start the queues now!

GoodLeave · « **Reply #4 on:** August 02, 2017, 07:56:48 PM »

Isn't this the same sort of thing as English Willow Nurtured in India?

If these are the next big thing, perhaps we need to change our views on where Willow is grown.

Calzehbhoy · « **Reply #5 on:** August 02, 2017, 08:07:40 PM »

Will be really interesting to see how it performs and holds up.

Does beg the question is English willow grown in England the best wood for the job or is it just what has always been done?

Gurujames · « **Reply #6 on:** August 02, 2017, 08:10:28 PM »

Probably the latter, but without experimentation which is costly and hugely time consuming we will never know for sure.

GDP1964 · « **Reply #7 on:** August 02, 2017, 08:29:43 PM »

Just a few facts I would like to put out there
1) Admin I am not trying to sell on here or promote B&S in anyway on here
2) B&S South Africa and various other Bat manufacturers were contacted by the owners of the Willow and there Terms and Conditions were set out to them one being an initial order of a 1000 Clefts to be ordered and various Grade would be supplied in certain numbers . B&S asked me to look into this which I did .
3) long story short I negotiated to purchase 10 Clefts 5 Grade 1 5 Grade 2 these have now all been made into bats and 5 of them are being used and put through there paces by three of my sponsored players
4) initial feed back from bat maker was the Willow good to work with but did seem to be on the Dry side the grains are not as pronounced as what we are used too
5) Two sponsored players have had a hit with them all be it not for too long a time but they found no difference in feel or performance over the next 2 weeks these players will be using them to the max in net sessions games bowling machine work and when they not using them they will be available to colleagues to have a go
6) This could very well turn out to be a damp squid and the wood may not perform and break down very quickly only time will tell once we feel these 5 bats had enough usage I will get the bat maker to asses and give his feed back and thoughts which I will pass on to any interested parties
Sorry for the long winded post and admin if you feel this should not be on here please delete
Regards
Gary

uknsaunders · « **Reply #8 on:** August 02, 2017, 09:53:50 PM »

Thanks Gary for the explanation.

Neon Cricket · « **Reply #9 on:** August 03, 2017, 06:43:24 AM »

It's an interesting one, I presume it'll all come down to the climate. We obviously know that Indian nurtured 'English' willow comes out too brittle due to the harsh heat, however I don't think anyone has really tried it with willow grown in a severe cold climate? (Canadian perhaps?).

Either way, looking forward to seeing the outcome - I imagine the Serbian clefts would end up a damn sight cheaper than JS Wrights which can only be good for the market if they are indeed OK!

JTtaylor145 · « **Reply #10 on:** August 03, 2017, 06:50:30 AM »

@GDP1964 I look forward to seeing you use one of these on Saturday mate. Not sure I'd be overly comfortable using a bat with a face that resembles Freddy Kruger's, but I'll try anything once (within reason).

Good experiment nonetheless.

Churchy1989 · « **Reply #11 on:** August 03, 2017, 10:18:40 AM »

I am sure that the different minerals in the ground make a difference, hence why there are some Iron stains on some bats. Maybe why the Laverwood bats sound different and change weight.

Maybe we could plant a few trees in different areas of the UK with different Mineral sources and then compare in 6 years :-).

Kulli · « **Reply #12 on:** August 03, 2017, 10:35:48 AM »

Quote from: Churchy1989 on August 03, 2017, 10:18:40 AM

I am sure that the different minerals in the ground make a difference, hence why there are some Iron stains on some bats. Maybe why the Laverwood bats sound different and change weight.

Maybe we could plant a few trees in different areas of the UK with different Mineral sources and then compare in 6 years :-).

Pretty sure all Lavers start life at Wrights.

Churchy1989 · « **Reply #13 on:** August 03, 2017, 10:45:16 AM »

@Kulli I didn't think about that.....

LBWCandidate · « **Reply #14 on:** August 03, 2017, 02:07:36 PM »

Hopefully, this performs as good as it looks and lasts really long. This will open a new avenue at lower cost for players worldwide.

Author Topic: B&S Bat Review (Something A Bit Different) (Read 23855 times)

Sivlar13

B&S Bat Review (Something A Bit Different)

InternalTraining

Re: B&S Bat Review (Something A Bit Different)

Sivlar13

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edge

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GoodLeave

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Calzehbhoy

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Gurujames

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GDP1964

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uknsaunders

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Neon Cricket

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JTtaylor145

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Churchy1989

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Kulli

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Churchy1989

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LBWCandidate

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