Welcome to the Laver & Wood Cricket Bat Lore Newsletter

How to select the correct bat for your game.

· Why the bat has to be right.
· What physical attributes affect the bat needed.
· Why different batting positions affect the type of bat needed.
· How does the type of cricket affect my game?
· The pitch and outfield.

At some point in your cricketing career you have to accept that a new bat has to be bought and the Old Faithful has to stand aside and play second fiddle to a new blade full of the joys of run making. This newsletter is aimed to make it easier for the individual to go out and confidently buy their own bat knowing that they have considered all the aspects of their game and physical attributes before buying a new one.

It is essential that when you purchase a new cricket bat you should consider what factors effect the size and weight of the bat required to play the game to your full potential. Far too many cricketers today have bats that are incorrectly suited to the game that they play and consequently do not play well and lose interest and enjoyment in the game.

The first aspect to consider is height. If you are tall, for example is 6'4" and using a bat that is ½ inch shorter than full size, you will find that the ball travels under the bat far too often and you will often have back problems. You may find that the bat is nice in the balance but it will be far too impractical to use to its full effect. If the same bat was placed in the hands of a player of height 5'4" it would be far more effective.

The same scenario goes for the bat that is 3lbs2ozs. Being used by a player of 15 years old, of slight build and who is just trying to break into the first team, the heavy bat will ruin the individuals technique. When he or she does, the ball might go a long way BUT they will only hit one out of every ten balls that are bowled to them. This very scenario is one reason why youngsters of today are not playing as much cricket as in the past, they cannot get any enjoyment out of it. They learn to have a big strike at the ball but cannot survive when they come up to a higher level of cricket.

When an individual gets to a higher level of cricket there can be a problem with the bat being too light, this causes one to play too early and have a slight chance of partially completing the shot before the ball has arrived.

The different batting positions affect the bat an individual should use due to the different styles of play expected in each. We have more in depth information about this topic on our site, I shall put a brief explanation across of what should be used.

As an opener, you are expected to see off the new ball and build a solid start to an innings. The ball is always new, very shiny and is generally coming on very quickly (depending on the oppositions opening bowling attack). In order to react in time to play the correct shot one should have a bat that is very light. 2lbs2ozs - 2lbs4ozs in a harrow size or 2lbs6ozs - 2lbs8ozs in a full size. The full size here does depend largely on ones height.

In the role of the numbers 3 & 4 positions one should be looking at a bat that allows one to hit slightly bigger and more confident shots as your role is to build on the innings from the openers and score runs methodically and regularly. One cannot go too heavy here as on the odd occasion one would get in a bit quicker than one expected and have to face the harder new ball that is still arriving at a fast pace. 2lbs2ozs - 2lbs4ozs in a harrow size or 2lbs7ozs - 2lbs9ozs in a full size.

As a middle order player at numbers 5,6 & 7 one would expect to be using a bat that has much more mass and consequently more power. The ball is becoming more worn at this stage and is starting to show signs of slowing down. The player would be expecting to hit out a bit to try and score runs more quickly at this stage. A weight range consequently would be slightly higher to account for this more aggressive style of play. 2lbs3ozs - 2lbs4ozs in a harrow size or 2lbs9ozs - 2lbs12ozs in a full size.

In the positions number 8 through to number 11 it is very difficult to advise what weight bat would be suitable. This relies heavily on ability and ones physical size. I would recommend that one should use a bat that feels good in the balance and has a very powerful sweet spot. If the individual is rather tall (over 6') and is a good pinch hitter of that ball then they should use a bat that is possibly slightly longer in the blade and in the weight region of 2lbs2ozs - 2lbs4ozs in a harrow size or 2lbs10ozs - 2lbs12ozs in a full size.

If the individual has limited ability as a batsman then they should use something that is very well balanced but has a lot of willow in it to give that extra powerful boost when contact with the ball is made.

If you play cricket in the USA or Canada it is not uncommon for the outfields to be with long grass, this does affect the type of bat suitable and tends to mean a heavier weight is needed to get value out of your shots.

There are many factors affecting the weight and size of a bat that is suitable to the individual player. If one is very unsure of what specification is needed please email me to get some complimentary advice and what is suitable or study the information given on the relevant pages on our website.

For those really serious about getting the perfect bat please send us either a video or your shot charts - the type of shots you favour make a big difference to where the middle should be. For international players we often spend as much as three hours watching an innings, and a hour with wagon wheels before making recommendations.

Please do sign up to our free Bat Lore newsletter. If you have questions about cricket bat lore or suggestions for topics to cover in the email newsletter please email James.