Welcome to the Laver & Wood Cricket Bat Lore Newsletter

Moisture Damage in Cricket Bats


Laver & Wood Article
Prepared by J Laver & S Lusk
February  2006

Moisture Damage in Cricket Bats
become a broken bat, or at the very least a bat requires a lot of attention to bring it back to life.

The willow that cricket bats are made from has very specific characteristics, being both hard enough to resist breaking, yet retaining
properties. All bats are made from Cricket Bat Willow (Salix Alba Caerullea), and the best willow comes from England.

Cricket Bat Willow clefts are air dried for at least six months, then kiln dried for another few weeks before being shipped to bat makers. Each cleft
this stage the moisture is about 10 -15% of the cleft's weight, enough to hold it together without being too heavy to use.

In the early part of the bat making process the surface of the willow cleft is compressed with a roller, applying approximately 2 & 1/2 tonnes per square inch of pressure to the surface. This reduces the size of the piece
of willow by some 5mm and provides a protective seal on the bat that is enhanced by knocking the bat in.

When a bat gets exposed to moisture the compressed fibres expand. The willow acts like a sponge, as the surface of the bat is incredibly porous. As bats expand the protective harder surface is lost. Bats without the hard facing will be much more likely to crack or split.

Moisture damage occurs often when playing on wet surfaces, or having throw downs with a wet ball. Be particularly wary of artificial pitches or nets, as even if the surface is dry the undersurface may be wet. When the bat is tapped on the pitch moisture can come up and affect the toe of the bat. Another common cause of moisture damage in bats is throw downs with a wet bat. This will introduce moisture to the face of the bat and cause the bat to swell. Rain is another source of moisture that affects many bats.

To protect your bat the only completely safe method is to keep the bat away from moisture. If possible use an old bat in wet conditions and do not expose your match bat to wet pitches, wet balls or rain. You should also use
oil on the bat, using boiled linseed oil on the face, with raw linseed oil on the toe. To apply the raw linseed oil to the toe use an old rag and wipe the toe five or six times.

A variety of toe guards have been used over the last 50 years, and while some help protect the toe of the bat from moisture, moisture has a nasty habit of getting around the top and the sides of the toe guard. Toe guards
do help, but will not completely protect bats from moisture damage.
If your bat does get exposed to moisture you should use a cloth to get the moisture off the bat as soon as possible. Minor swelling can be flattened out with a knocking in mallet, but major swelling may need the bat
repressed. Depending on how bad the damage is the bat may not be able to be repaired, and almost certainly will not be able to be restored to its previous state.

The simple message is it is far better not to get the bat wet as a wet bat all.

Laver & Wood at the SCG Test

Laver & Wood will be at the SCG for the Australia v South Africa ODI Match,
from the 5th Feb 2006 and on the 12th Feb 2006 for the 2nd VB series final
in the members area. We will be doing a series  of bat making demos, showing
how bats are made starting with the basic cleft and handle and working
through to a bat that is almost ready for use. We will also be available to
correctly size you up for a bat to suit.

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James Laver
Senior Bat Maker - Laver & Wood
james@laverwood.co.nz
www.laverwood.co.nz
Laver & Wood
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