Custom Bats Buying Guide

Grade

Grade 1+: Finest English willow cricket bat. Usually has 10/11 grains, willow usually specially reserved for professional players. There may be some red wood evident on the edge of the bat. The grain on the face will be straight and there will be at least 4 grains visible. There may be the odd small knot in the edge or back but the playing area should be clean.

Grade 1: Some blemishes but most of the blade is clean. Usually has 6-8 grains, mostly straight. Rest as above.

Grade 2: Blade is also very good quality and normally a larger amount of red wood can be seen on the edge of a bat. This has no effect on the playing ability of the bat, it is purely cosmetic. Again there will be at least 4 straight grains on the face of the bat with maybe some blemishes, pin knots or "speck" visible.

Grade 3: Blade has up to half colour across the bat. Again, this has no direct relation to the playing ability of the wood, it just has less visual attraction. There will be a minimum of 4 grains on the face of the bat which may not always be perfectly straight. Again, some small knots or a little 'butterfly' stain may be present with perhaps more prominent "speck".

Weight

Shot! Cricket Bats come between 2lb 04oz right up to 4oz. Please use these as a guide only, and for advice based on your build & style of play please email us.

Opening bat

A lighter bat is recommended, usually in the region of 2lbs7ozs – 2lbs9ozs. This is due to the faster bat speed required when facing the new ball. A heavier bat means that there will be a slightly slower reaction time, which can be the difference between playing the ball too early or too late (another point would be “the difference between a thick or thin edge”)

Nos 3 & 4

A slightly heavier weight is often required for a more aggressive style whilst still retaining the balance needed for facing faster bowlers. 2lbs8ozs-2lbs10ozs.

Nos 5, 6 & 7

One would generally require a larger size bat so that when one hits out the ball is sure to travel beyond the boundary. A good weight range for a middle order player would be 2lbs10ozs – 2lbs12ozs.

Nos 8 & 9

This depends very much on your build and what feels comfortable to you. Players tend to use bats of around 2lbs12ozs, sometimes with a longer blade (depending on player height). You are very often required to stay at the crease so it is not always necessary to have a big heavy bat.

Nos 10 & 11

These are very often crucial batting positions in the game as you may find yourself in a position where you are needed to score the winning runs. If you find that you are a pretty good timer of the ball and like the heavy bat (3lbs +) when in the heat of the final over, then a good balance is crucial due to the way it improves your timing. If you feel that the bat has to be light as you cannot use a heavier bat well, we would recommend one in the region of 2lbs10ozs while making sure that the bat length is correct.

Lower order batsmen should be particular about the bat they use. Being in the lower order means you need every advantage you can get. Lower order batsmen do not have the skill that those batting up the order have, and having the correct bat can dramatically improve your batting performance.

Shot! custom bats have a very light pick-up, so if you think your current bat has a particulalry heavy pickup you can increase the weight by a couple of ounces or more to get a more 'meaty' bat.

Handle Type

Oval or round handl?

The oval shape in the lower handle also gives the bat a better directional feel. It is hard to grip the bat too hard with the bottom hand. One can only hold with thumb and forefinger, which encourages the top hand to control the shot.

The oval shape improves the pick-up due to it having a larger mass nearer to your body. Most batsmen who use our oval handle never go back to a round one.

The round handle is best suited to those who like to use their bottom hand to hit the ball hard and lift it.

The size of a batsman’s hands can alter the specification of the handle. This is changed by either applying extra rubber grips or in the case of needing a thinner handle, specifying you have small hands when you place your order.

We can provide a standard round handle on request, but recommend the oval handle for anyone who wants to bat technically correctly.

Handle Length (please see blade length as well - below)

Affects pick-up – hard to tell before the bat is made, many people get this chopped later depending on how they want the pick-up to be. Unless you have previously used a different handle or are sure you want a long handle or a Super Short handle it is best to leave Short Handle.

Blade Length

The table below provides a rough guide to the length of bat that most cricketers of a given height will find suits their game. This may vary according to individual preference.

Options to change the length of the bat include changing the blade length and changing the handle length. We recommend most players use a standard blade with a standard handle.

The rationale behind this is that a Long Handle dramatically alters the centre of gravity of the bat, which alters the pick-up and bat speed. This usually means having a lighter bat to compensate for the longer handle.

Long Blades are a better option than a Long Handle. A Long Blade has an extra half an inch to an inch in the blade (more on request), and does not alter the pick-up as much as a long handle does. A long blade encourages you to stand up straighter when taking guard, which may or may not help your game.

Long Handle/Long Blade is only recommend for the very tall and those who possibly suffer from back problems. Most people prefer to use a long blade, mainly because it is very difficult to get a Long Handle/Blade that feels good.

Number of grains

Top grade English willow cricket bats usually have 7-14 straight grains. It is generally accepted within the cricketing community that the smaller the number of grains, the 'stronger' the willow will be. It means it would have a lower tendency to chip or break but is suspected to have a slightly worse 'ping'.

On the other hand, the more the grains on the face of the cricket bat, the better its ping. But that means the bat is not as strong and would not last very long.

It is believed that the best compromise between strength and ping is around 7-12 grains. This give the best results over a period of time.

Just to point out, that there is a general conception that more grains equal better performance. But the bat with the most/best looking grains doesn't always perform the best. We are so confident that our bats perform the best that we offer a 7 day money back guarantee on every cricket bat!

Heartwood

Many believe the slightly ‘reddy’ area on the bat strengthens the bat - especially on the edges - but it is open to debate. If you are not too fussed about the looks, we would recommend at least a 1/4 heartwood on the edges as it will protect the edge of the bat, making it less prone to breakage.

Sweetspot

The middle is dictated by the profile through the back of the bat.

Most players will have a bat with the sweet spot in the normal position. This would be about 4” from the toe to 12” from the toe. A bat with a normal sweet spot will suit a batsman who plays the full range of shots and does not favour any shot in particular.

A high sweet spot is usually 5” from the toe through to 13” from the toe. This bat suits a batsman who opens or prefers playing short pitched bowling and off the back foot. With a higher sweet spot, the weight distribution is higher up the blade, meaning that the bat speed is faster. This type of bat suits those who like playing cuts, hooks and pulls.

A low sweet spot is usually 3” to 11” from the toe. This type of bat suits a player that enjoys driving the ball and playing aggressively during the final overs of a game. It is particularly suited to wickets that do not have much bounce – those that are damp or have good grass cover. The pick-up is affected due to the weight of bat being nearer to the toe.

Please note that hitting the ball regularly in the desired area will enhance the sweet spot. If you have a bat with a high sweet spot you need to be hitting the ball high on the blade regularly to get the best out of the bat.

In general, we recommend a sweet spot in the normal position, but if you have a preference for a particular position then we can make the bat to your specifications.

Profile

If you have a drawing or a photograph of a profile you want us to copy, please attach it here. Our bat maker will do his best to replicate the profile making sure the balance and pick-up remain as good as possible.

If you have more than one photograph, please email them to us with your last name as a reference.

Ready to play

Select this if you would like your bat to be:

• Hand knocked in
• Oiled
• Fitted with a toe guard
• Fitted with Anti-Scuff Film

A Bat made just for you.

As soon as we get our supply of cricket bat blades (called in the trade a "cleft") from JS Wright & Sons (the only worldwide suppliers of clefts, based in Essex) we immediately separate the best grade 1+ from the rest, meaning only the very best playing clefts are used for your bat.

We believe all Shot! hand made bats deserve the best of the best available and so these high quality clefts are separated solely for Cricket Haven's Shot! bats from hundreds of ordinary Grade 1s at our warehouse.  You won't be able to get anything better elsewhere - especially as many 'off the shelf' Grade 1 bats would be our Grade 2s!

Our Beautiful Bats

Hand made from the finest English willow

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