It started with a Purist
How did it end up like this?
It was only a Purist, it was only a Purist.
If you didn't read that to the tune of Mr Brightside you've done it wrong!
I will do a separate thread about said Purist at a later date.
Anyway, a few weeks ago a company called Crossbat Cricket appeared on my Twitter timeline, so I had a look.
It turned out they were fairly local to me, so I decided to follow them and did a bit of
stalking investigating. It turned out they did a bat trade in service, and I noticed a GM Purist in the picture.
I slid into their DMs and expressed my interest in buying this, which they were only too happy to accommodate.
In possibly the most forum move ever, me buying a 2nd hand bat somehow resulted in me buying a full set of kit! Whoops...
Here is my honest review of my dealings with Crossbat.
The serviceThe response time to messages has always been good on Twitter, and Craig (the owner) was happy to answer any questions.
He asked what kind of bat I was after, and just so happened to have something in stock that suited. It was a Grade 2 Legacy, which is a traditional shape. When I was sent pictures the bat had blue stickers, I'm a bit of a strange creature who likes pink kit so requested they were changed. Craig agreed to change the stickers to their pink ones (the Radical) for me.
As there was a delay in the stickers arriving from the printer, my order was delivered by Craig himself!
The service I received was excellent, which is just what you want from your local boutique brand. I will highly recommend Crossbat to anyone who asks. Incidentally on Sunday a teammate saw my new softs and had also been visited by Craig that week, it's a small world but the service level is clearly consistent!
The softsThe 2017 season gloves drew my attention as soon as I saw them on the website.
Pink and sausage fingers, what's not to like?
The fit on these is rather small, possibly closer to youths than a standard mens size. As I have small hands they happen to fit me very well.
The fingers are foam with a plastic reinforcer on each finger, with the palms having what I assume is a take on pittard leather. While the fit is excellent I get the impression that the protection may be lacking if you face any seriously quick bowlers. For the majority of players they will be perfectly sufficient. However with my recent hand problems I may opt for something more high end, just in case. These are the entry level gloves, and at the £25 a pair sale price I got them for, they offer good value. Crossbat do offer their signature gloves at £55 a pair. These are whiteouts which offer test level protection. In hindsight, I wish I'd opted for the higher end kit, but as it isn't pink they didn't catch my eye at the time...
Seeing as I'm a bit tight, I also went for last seasons radical pads. These came in at around £35 in the sale and are again entry level.
There are no padded straps which may put some people off, but they pads are very light and the padding that goes over your shins is removable so it can be washed.
Some may find these pads a bit bulky, but I wore them for an indoor game on Sunday night and once you're wearing them they feel no different to any other pads. As the padding is so soft and light they are very comfortable when on. I wasn't hit on the pad so cannot comment on the level of protection, but I feel they'd be sufficient to take an impact from a decent club level bowler. Again the new signature range is now available at £75 a pair, offering better protection and a more sedate look.
The batCrossbat offer 4 models of bat, in 3 different grades. I went for a Legacy profile in grade 2, which is their mid range and comes in at around £200.
The bats are all hand made in the UK.
The specs on my bat are:
Weight: 2lb8.75oz
Edge peak: 32mm
Edge at shoulders: 17mm
Edge at toe: 21mm
Toe at thickest point: 31mm
Spine height: 66mm (approx.)
Width at toe: 108mm
Width in middle 108.5mm (naughty!)
Width at shoulders 106.5mm
The bat has 6 straight and mostly even grains, and no major blemishes on the playing area.
These are a couple of flecks on the face and just a hint of darker willow on the right handers inside edge.
On the back of the bat there are a few little pin knots in the back and an iron mark near the splice, but they just add character.
For a sub 2lb9 bat this actually feels heavier than you may expect! The bat has no concaving and a relatively low middle, so it would naturally be a touch bottom heavy. I actually like the pickup as it feels like you've got a substantial bat in your hands, without it weighing a ton. A 2nd grip would definitely aid pickup if that worries you.
The most striking thing about the bat is the bright pink stickers! They're simply gorgeous.
They have a sort of matte finish to them with chrome detailing which adds a feel of class. The pink may not be to everyones taste, but you cannot deny they're high quality stickers.
Overall I am impressed by Crossbat, and it's great to have a local brand.
As I said I only bought entry level softs which are good value for their prices, but in hindsight I wish I'd gone for the superior protection of the new signature range.
Craig is a really nice bloke who provides a very good service, and the products are excellent.
I can honestly say I expect to see a fair bit of crossbat gear being used in the Hampshire League in 2018.
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Topic: Crossbat Cricket (Read 3218 times)