Topic: 12 Days of Batsmas... (Read 6448 times)

Chad · « **on:** December 25, 2021, 10:46:45 PM »

On the first day of Batsmas the bat gods gave to me...

A James Laver Signature:

Merry Christmas everyone! Hope all are keeping well, and that everyone has been in good company over the festive period.

Just a little thread which I'll lock after each post until after the 12th day - figured it's been a while since I've shared any bats, so may as well do it this way for fun... I've tried to pick it so it kind of goes with the traditional tune/rhythm, but ofc, not all will really follow... I've also done my best to make sure that no makers appear twice if possible...

We have a beautiful L&W Signature here in the Bradman shape. (Number 69) I guess some would argue that it doesn't quite look as good as we would expect from a Signature, but still a rare piece crafted with the utmost care from one of the best.

A potential contender for this spot was a Purist OLE... But GM will appear at some other point.

Chad · « **Reply #1 on:** December 26, 2021, 11:23:59 PM »

On the second day of Batsmas the bat gods gave to me...

2 Johnny Scotts:

Sheesh, I nearly forgot about this - but here we go, 2 bats made by @jonny77 - both of which I went to pick out/check out in person. I'll post more up about my/our visit soon when I find some time, as it's the least I owe him as he has been incredible to deal with. These are both stunning bats, good size for the weight, and pickup and ping are superb. As he says himself, if he isn't happy with it, he won't let it leave the workshop.

A potential contender for spot 2 was Oxfordshire, but unfortunately, it doesn't quite fit in with the syllables of the song.

Two excellent batmakers born from this forum who would put a lot of craftsmanship out there to shame, which I hope we continue supporting.

Chad · « **Reply #2 on:** December 27, 2021, 11:59:25 PM »

On the third day of Batsmas the bat gods gave to me...

3 Charlie French's (or CFs if you're strict about syllables)

Dangerously close to finishing the 3rd day without posting - should try post these a touch earlier on in the day so I don't forget!

Anyways, decided to take the plunge and go for some CFs after they posted up on the Black Friday sales. Must be said, there really isn't much better in terms of value for money from a Master who has been in the industry for 30 years. They'll be popping their prices up this coming year, but despite this, I reckon they'll still be competitively priced. The bat covers are also some of the best I've seen...

Chad · « **Reply #3 on:** December 28, 2021, 11:51:08 PM »

On the fourth day of Batsmas the bat gods gave to me...

4 Salix Bats (I wish they were all Pods - and yes, some of the bats have seen a bit of use!)

Often seen as the benchmark for the finest cricket bat shaping and finishing amongst many a badger (And private school kid I guess), Salix are a brand which are very much like the Rolls Royce of cricket bats, with every bat being meticulously crafted into an elegant piece of art. These ones are no exception to the craftsmanship that Kember prides himself in, and with performance to suit. Many may be put off by the lack of size to the bats, however with a refusal to over-dry or narrow bats, (Often many will end up being 109mm wide) Salix have remained faithful to their philosophy of batmaking, while also adopting some of the trends such as having thicker edges with fuller profiles, having some with flatter faces etc.

From memory, many of the retailers dealing with Salix would have to wait for months for their bat orders to be ready - and their price points can often put some off. Much of what you pay is actually reflective of the time spent crafting, and also each bat undergoes very strict grading - IIRC, Andrew mentions in a video that they only buy G1 and G2s for the range. Definitely one of the batmakers that I would like to visit sometime in the future.

'Some people are able to just close their eyes to shoddy workmanship - I just find it impossible.'

A contender was...

4 Sancta Grails

All stunning pieces of wood - let down by ridiculous weight gain of around 1.5-2oz on each bat after arriving, besides the lightest one funnily enough. (Unsure if they had been overly aggressive with their climate room or drying process or what, but unusual for anything more than 0.5oz generally) The finishing on these though compared to Salix was just chalk and cheese - functionally brilliant and lovely profiles, let down by the finishing touches and the weight gain.

Chad · « **Reply #4 on:** December 29, 2021, 11:36:29 PM »

On the fifth day of Batsmas the bat gods gave to me...

5 GM Players! (Or GMs if you're pedantic about syllables)

The very best that GM have to offer, these bats are probably some of the best looking and low density bats you can buy off the shelf. The profiles differ ever so slightly - Vince and Stokes are practically the same, Markram is like them with a bit more wood lower down and the Lawrence is like the old Root shape.

Chad · « **Reply #5 on:** December 30, 2021, 11:14:55 PM »

On the sixth day of Batsmas the bat gods gave to me...

6 ~~M&H's~~ Sareen Sports Bats

Had to be done - here is SS/TON, the first Indian brand entry, and probably one of the most readily used bat brands in the pro scene, be it their own sponsored players or people stickering them as blanks. (Or pinching them from Moeen Ali's batch from what I've been told) Having scored 3 of my 5 50+ scores with an SS, I can certainly see the appeal of them. Big bats at light weights with pretty whippy handles seems to be a recipe for a good time, but not necessarily a long time.

Did you know: Marie Kelly actually used one of Moeen's old bats to score her 100* off 53 balls against the Southern Vipers? There's a bit of absolutely useless and redundant info about SS and who uses/used them for you.

Initially, SS was actually going to be the contender for this round - however, due to overused meme-worthiness amongst those in the know, SS edged this one. (You know, cause they've been narrowed.) The contender for the sixth day is DSC.

Now I'd be lying if I said I'd ever used a DSC, despite owning a fair number of them. But having spoken Eclipse All Sports, (Coincidentally, all of the bats pictured besides the red SS TON were sourced from them) the feedback and impression he got was that DSC offer some of the best and most consistent quality - in particular with the lower grades.

Chad · « **Reply #6 on:** December 31, 2021, 11:44:08 PM »

On the seventh day of Batsmas the bat gods gave to me...

7 English (made) GNs. (If you squeeze the syllables, could probably get away with Robertsbridge GNs)

In a rush today, so won't do these bats/this entry any justice, (and neither will any of the English Test batting lineup) but these are some exquisite bats that were made in Robertsbridge. I've found their press to yield some pretty incredible bats, and obviously the iconic checkered wrap around strips and red splice stickers are often too alluring to pass up. I have a fair few more of these, but figured that the 7 different ranges would make for some interesting photography. (Shame I didn't have time to do it properly!)

Chad · « **Reply #7 on:** January 01, 2022, 11:47:00 PM »

On the eighth day of Batsmas the bat gods gave to me...

8 SG Players

First up, Happy New Year to all who haven't gotten bored of this yet!

Another quick one today, but here are some of the finest bats you can buy from one of the largest manufacturers in the world. Here from left to right we have:

Ishan Kishan
Cheteshwar Pujara
MS Dhoni (Mahi) x 2
Hardik Pandya
KL Rahul
Shane Watson x2

SG do seem to have a little more variety on their Players series shapes, at least more obvious variations. (And the Dhoni, which just stands out quite a lot from the rest) From experience, if you want something close to a Players bat in terms of profile, but don't want to pay for looks, then the Icon grade of some ranges can potentially be a suitable alternative.

Chad · « **Reply #8 on:** January 02, 2022, 09:44:38 PM »

On the ninth day of Batsmas the bat gods gave to me...

9 Rob Pack BlueRooms

One of a handful of manufacturers I've actually been able to visit, as well as one of the brands I had really wanted to try for a while - this is quite a rare selection in that about half of these bats I actually picked up in person. I've yet to write up the follow up visit with another friend, where I picked up the black with blue wave and the green wave, both of which were made in front of me, and requested to have the spines as large and flowing as possible with very little to no concaving - the reduced edge size being compromise. Some beautiful profiles and fine craftsmanship on display here, and at pretty darn sensible prices in today's climate - especially from one of few Master batmakers around.

The one that didn't quite make the cut, as it didn't have Blueroom stickers. (I absolutely love these RPC ones though)

Chad · « **Reply #9 on:** January 03, 2022, 11:59:23 PM »

On the tenth day of Batsmas the bat gods gave to me...

10 Aussie GNs

2 apologies - first is this rushed post and snap, wouldn't have done these any justice at all. Second is for the Wifey sticker on the Velocity, apologies for any kids around, and no, I didn't stick it on, but it was attached when bought second hand.

Well, here we have 10 fine bats hailing from Melbourne. Probably the batmaker somewhat indirectly responsible for the restrictions we now have, you can see how the bats Stuart Kransbuler designed caught the eyes of many - and unfortunately rather than the designs and craftsmanship being the topic of discussion, often the discussions were 'if I had bats that big back then...' and we unfortunately lost quite a lot of scope for skill/craft expression.

Hopefully this posts on time!

Chad · « **Reply #10 on:** January 04, 2022, 11:59:49 PM »

On the eleventh day of Batsmas the bat gods gave to me...

11 Hell 4 Leathers

Need I say much more? These bats are some of the best and most impressive in the collection, often striking envy (NV) in any who walk in and see them in the flesh. (Although they only strike envy, no cricket balls from the looks of mine...) Honestly an incredible experience to hop down to the farm and watch Matt @hell4leather cricket and James @Perkins17 go about making bats and their impressive setup. In this selection, we have some of their full profiled Pro shapes, a Darren Sammy styled shape (DS88), a monster Joe Root shape, and monster James Taylor shape and an oversize JM styled custom shape. (Amongst many others) Some sensational looking willow coupled with expert craftsmanship and some very nice modern styled branding, not many brands will be able to cover so many bases for their sticker choices, and have access to the willow and skills to make bats to suit all styles of play.

Apologies about the late edits after the 11th day, but I honestly just ran out of time trying to decide which ones to show. Another write up which I'm long overdue to do!

Chad · « **Reply #11 on:** January 05, 2022, 11:59:55 PM »

On the twelfth day of Batsmas the bat gods gave to me...

12 Keeley Pro Bats

Occupying the lion's share of the collection are bats that have come from the Keeleys, so what better candidate than them to be the final day. I would say more, but it wouldn't be the 12th day anymore!

Having visited the Keeleys back in August, I can see why many people say that a visit is worthwhile and why it's probably @ch1p 's favourite place in the world, despite the rather arduous drive there. I would describe it, but I guess it might spoil the fun for some folks, and I definitely wouldn't do it justice! They are a lovely bunch, and I really enjoyed my experience there and listening to Tim and Nick describe the process, and also talk about their time in the industry.

But onto the bats, we have various profiles here, ranging from Kohli, Root, Warner, Masood and Azam profiles. As you'd expect, all guns, and finished immaculately. You can see why a lot of folks use/used Keeley in the past for their label brands. Some have actually built a reputation on it, then switched manufacturers while trying to hide it, others have just flat out lied about having Keeley make their bats. One thing is for sure, amongst even those who aren't badgers, Keeleys are very much sought after - having owned my fair share, I can tell why!

And that concludes it folks, hope this has been of some enjoyment to most!

Chad · « **Reply #12 on:** January 06, 2022, 12:05:45 AM »

And there we have it folks, 12 days of Christmas in the theme of bats. Hopefully it's been enjoyable for some despite the mad rush just before midnight to snap these and post them up. I'll unlock the topic now as I've managed to do the 12 days consecutively, so open to abuse for the number (or lack) of cherries on the edges and toes of any bats that have been used...

Jimbo · « **Reply #13 on:** January 06, 2022, 12:08:57 AM »

Drooling over those full profile H4Ls... Must not buy more bats...

Devondumpling00 · « **Reply #14 on:** January 06, 2022, 12:10:00 AM »

Amazing collection! Thanks for showing it off, I�m sure everyone here is very envious. Can you narrow it down to a top 3 based on looks and shape if not performance?

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