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What is it about Bowed Bats!

www.laverwood.co.nz    www.middlepeg.com    www.lavercricket.co.uk

Each month cricket bat maker James Laver writes a passage about cricket bats and the lore that surrounds them. Please feel free to print all or part of this message in your cricket clubs newsletter. You may print any Laver & Wood newsletter or web site content for any non-profit purpose, provided readers are referred to the Laver & Wood web site.

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Laver & wood Newsletter No. 12 What is it about Bowed Bats! Over the last couple of seasons we have been inundated with requests to explain theories about bowed bats. I decided to do a bit of research about it on the net to see what I could come up with - there were plenty of manufacturers that sell the bats but no real information about the benefits of, or problems associated with, the bowed bat or what it is really all about. In this newsletter I am compiling the thoughts of myself, Marty, Megan and David    (Middlepeg Cricket) to try and give our newsletter members a bit of an insight into the pros and cons of a bowed bats and what types of play they are most suited to.   How does one make a bowed blade?  The blade of the bat (especially the edge) is shaped slightly to form the curve of the bow shape that one requires using a profiling machine or spindle moulder set-up to take willow from the face of the bat. It is then pressed lightly on a mechanical press to give the main base to the pressing process.  After pressing the willow blade is then spliced and the handle fitted into the blade. The bat is then crafted using either hand tools or mechanical profiling machines. Once the bat is made it is then pressed again using a mechanical press to achieve the final preparation of the bat face before sale.  Another way of achieving the curve in the face of the bat is to shape the back of the bat into pretty much the finished shape that you require and then press the bat much harder from scratch, thus achieving a bow shape that occurs naturally through the stresses that are placed on the timber. There seems to be a point at which the willow cannot take more pressure and the bat appears hard when tested, but the ball flies off the middle well. This is usually from a smaller sweet spot than the standard straight bladed bat in general but the sweet spot does tend to have more power than the straight bladed bat. This does depend on the quality of craftsman and materials used in the bats though.  The better performance could be attributed to the thicker edges that are achieved when making the bowed bat, the back of the bat near to the shoulder area is often shaped more to reduce the weight and so leaving more to be placed though the edges where one would need it most when one is finding it hard to find the middle of the bat. The thicker edges would spread the sweet spot from side to side making it wider. It would be very rare to find a bat that is made in this fashion with a larger sweet spot due to the placement of the mass of willow. The sweet spot would usually be naturally lower than that of a standard straight bladed bat. The handle of the bat is often set forward to help the balance of the bat. The combination of the bow shape and the handle being set forward usually makes that bat feel much lighter in the pickup as it raises the centre of gravity slightly. 

Here is a piece from the Middlepeg site that gives a brief overview on bowed bats.

Bowed Blades - 'To bow or not to bow' Although straight blade designs have mostly dominated the cricket scene in Australia and the world, it is now well worth noting that the biggest cricket bat manufacturers in the world have slowly begun to realise the merits of the bowed blade with the release of their "own" bowed blade designs. Bat makers like Ihsan, CA & AS Sports, and others however have been making Bowed Blades for the last 40 years.  For these last 40 years the benefits of a bowed blade have been well known by many master Pod Shavers but for reasons unknown the big manufacturers refused to have a bowed blade design. Today they are advertising and heavily promoting their so called ‘own bowed’ blades.  As for Middlepegs views on the bowed blade, having now used and sold many Ihsan, CA, AS Sports and other bats with bowed blades we feel that there is no question that this simple principle works. This is especially so for the player who likes to hit over the top with the blade providing clearly more power and oomph for the lofted shot. So again, whilst it is obviously up to the individual many people who have never used bowed blades before swear by them after using them for the first time.  The only condition to this is that we feel they work best in conjunction with a heavier type of blade – as in from around 2lb 10 upwards.

 

We also have some views that would give an idea of the type of players that would benefit from bowed bats.

    I have noticed that the “Bowed” bats tend to be slightly heavier bats, so would be more suited to “stronger” players of good “ability” with the  “confidence” to play the ball in the air.

Also with the bowed bats the lofted drives and chip shots tend to be checked or punched rather than given the full flourish so the strength tends to be in the wrists, rather than the upper body.

So more suited to the wristy, above average ability players as there is less margin of error when hitting “over the top” and risk takers as obviously the more often the ball is hit in the air the more opportunities there are made available for the fielding team to make catches.

So if I am saying the bowed bat is suited to lofted drives and/or chip shots they would tend to suit players in the first 15 overs and towards the death in one day cricket. (as a rough guide). Not to say that players using a straight blade bat do not attempt the same shots often with some success just that if a bowed blade gives some natural advantage for hitting over the top, why not use it.

 

Please feel free to email James about a bat that could be suitable for you or alternatively fill our the bat sizing form on the Laver & Wood website

 

 

 

Next L&W newsletter: Manufacture of composite cricket bat handles. 

 

 

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