Cricket insight

Master batmaker, John Gasson, reaches 50

Tom — Thu, 17 May 2012 19:56:55 +0000

Master batmaker John Gasson has completed a remarkable 50 years’ service with world renowned cricket specialist Gray-Nicolls.

Clients have included some of the greatest names in the game and only recently current England captains Andrew Strauss and Alistair Cook collected their handcrafted bats from the Robertsbridge factory.

John applied for a job at the tender age of 15 after being sent by his mother to get a haircut in the village. And he has remained every since, learning the craft over many years under the guidance of Cecil Unstead and his colleagues.

John recalls: “The first day I joined in 1962 Richie Benaud was testing out the first ‘Steel Spring’ handle which was the most popular handle in its day.”

In 1979 John made David Gower’s first GN500 bat. “David really loved that one and went on to score a four with the first ball of the Test match.”

Other highlights included West Indies great Brian Lara breaking the world Test record with a knock of 375 against England in 1994. “We at Gray-Nicolls had a great party,” he said.

“So much has happened over the years,” he went on. “We have survived a factory fire. Then the Robertsbridge floods in 2001, we had four feet of water in the factory and the bats were literally floating out to sea!

“I really enjoy my working life as I have met so many famous players, Bill Athey (ex-Sussex and England) dropped in just last week for a chat. Shiv, Ramps and many other players have spent hours with me perfecting their bats.”

Operation director Neil Gray said: “We at Gray-Nicolls really appreciate the hard work and dedication that John has given the company over this amazing length of service. His knowledge and craftsmanship is remarkable.”

John is planning to continue working part-time guiding the next generation of batmakers and, with luck, help Strauss and Cook win the next Ashes series in Australia.

The CricTech revolution

Tom — Wed, 16 May 2012 16:43:03 +0000

Former Yorkshire-based cricketer, Richard Blackledge CEO of cricket manufacturing company CricTech, has developed a cricket bat analysis and design process that could revolutionise how cricketers choose their bats.

Richard, who now lives in Los Angeles, is the USA Cricket Association’s South West Regional Youth Development Coordinator. The CricTech process uses patented impact marker sheets which enable the optimum sweet spot position to be measured for each individual batsman.

“Every batsman is different,” says Richard. “Where you need the sweet spot is dependent on which area of the bat you naturally strike. This is determined by the position you get in to play the shot. The speed of the wicket or the type of bowling you are facing has very little to do with it. If you push your head forward and play the ball close to the ground like Ian Bell then you would likely need a lower sweet spot than someone like Kevin Pietersen who stands up a little taller to play his shots. The CricTech process is unique in its ability to measure the exact impact point for each of the batsman’s main scoring shots and position the sweet spot where it will be of most benefit.”

Once a batsman’s shots have been recorded using the impact marker sheets, they are analysed and a 3D model created showing the ideal profile of cricket bat for that player’s technique.

CricTech’s research and testing has shown that only 3 out of every 10 batsmen are using a cricket bat with a profile that suits their technique. This means that if you are one of the 70% even your best executed drive will be missing the sweet spot by anything up to 5 inches.

View the process in full or order a custom made CricTech bat at www.crictech.com

The full Gray Nicolls 2012/13 Australia bat range

Tom — Tue, 15 May 2012 22:21:41 +0000

Over the past few months we’ve leaked a few teasers and exclusives of the new Gray Nicolls bats for 2012/13. Now we can bring you the full range.

Out goes the EVO – in comes the Colossus, A61, E41 Scoop and Scoop Revival. A line up where every player should be able to find a bat suited to them

The E41 Scoop – a Dynadrive updated?

Tom — Tue, 15 May 2012 22:04:11 +0000

There’s been talk on the forums for months of an updated Dynadrive and here’s the first of GN’s attempts at bringing it back.

We present – the E41 Scoop

Gray Nicolls A61 Full Range

Tom — Tue, 15 May 2012 21:53:48 +0000

Gray Nicolls are heading to Australia with 3 new models of bat this season: the Scoop Revival, like the UK Scoop, the Colossus, an all new massive bat and their mainstay of the 2012/13 range the A61.

The A61 is the brother of the E41. Unlike it’s brother, the emphasis is placed on the middle of the bat rather than the edges. This creates an apex of 61mm.

To match the bat Gray Nicolls have also introduced a full line of matching softs and luggage. The styling is a cross between traditional and modern and creates an uber classy look. We’re tipping this to be very popular down under.

Which bat?

Dr David Bacon — Wed, 02 May 2012 18:33:40 +0000

First of all sorry for not posting in a while, I have been a bit busy with GM 2013, which got me thinking about how you the cricketer select a bat? When designing a new bat its important to think who (what type of player will this bat suit) and what does that player want, but when I asked the question “what do you look for when choosing a bat” on twitter recently, bat profile came way down the list…….. This surprised me a little as to optimise the performance of your bat you really need a bat with the swell in the right place (where you hit the ball most often) – see my last blog. If however, you are like me and a good shot is that you hit the ball, then you want a bat with a long middle and big edges, my point is that I would still choose a profile that suited my style of play (just wished I could get one the width of the stumps). For the better player, you should really look at where you hit the ball most often and try and match that to the profile of a bat. This way you will really see a difference in the performance of your bat, and hopefully an increase in performance in your game.

The Pro’s have specifically designed bats to suit how they play, a good example is Shane Watson -to cut a long story short, he came to Nottingham and I designed a bat to suit how he played based on a 30 minute conversation and looking at his bats. This bat is the same shape he has used for the past 2 – 3 years (the Flare was based on his design), but during a recent tour of I think Sri Lanka, Shane wanted a bat with a slightly lower middle (a massive 15mm lower), as the wicket was lower than in Australia. He has then used this in the T20 format and prefers that shape to his older shape which he uses in test matches therefore optimising the profile for where he hits the ball in the different formats. Although this is an extreme example, and this level of service is not available to the club cricketer you should really select your bat to optimise your performance and to do this you need to match the swell to where you most often strike the ball.

The Bat selector (http://www.gm-cricket.com/pages/bat-selector/) predicts where you hit the ball by asking questions on how and where you play and what type of wicket you play on, and recommends a GM bat.

This blog is about the design rather than the weight/ pick up / grain quality of a bat, as every model from every manufacturer will be available in a variety of weights/pick ups and grades.

So here’s your chance to let me know when you buy a bat ( in a shop/ factory or online) what do you look for?? post your responses by posting a comment here or to my twitter account Dr_DBacon https://twitter.com/#!/Dr_DBacon

What would be your ideal bat – great thread on the forum at the minute about this - http://www.cricketinsight.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,1090.0.html

A special bond

Beachcricket — Wed, 02 May 2012 14:06:00 +0000

After a few days of pondering on the trouble I’d had with the finishing of the last bat, I realised that the difficulty I’d experienced was the exception and not the norm. However there’s always room for improvement, but more on that another time.

I wasn’t sure what to say about this bat, it was another heavy cleft of willow weighing in at 3lbs 11.3oz and I had no idea what shape I was intending to make before I started. I marked the edges first, as I always do, and usually that gives me an idea of where I’m going. But this time it was different.

Some of you may have heard me mentioning a particular bat that I hold in high regard, a “Wonder bat” of sorts…

Well this bat wasn’t crafted by lightning and I’m pretty sure it was made by Tony Cook of Hunts County and not in Hephaestus’ forge.

Despite that, this bat was phenomenal!

No I mean this bat was phenomenal. The bat was a middle. The blade had a bizarre stiffness to it, even when you mistimed one it was as though the bat was rejecting the ball but in a way that meant you could feel almost nothing. As though you’d timed it cleanly. I remember mistiming a pull shot that went towards mid off (I know, terrible), I thought “Oh great, I’m out”. Then as I watched I saw the fielder back peddling to get underneath it and said to myself “It might go over if I’m lucky”. I continued to watch, half preparing myself to walk to the pavilion. But I didn’t need to, the ball kept going…

and going…

and going… to eventually land for a one bounce four.

This bat was immense but like all of them, eventually they go to the big kit bag in the sky. I can’t bring myself to let go of her though. It looks better than it is. The bat is being held together with glue.

Affectionately known as “The Glyny Bat” after a friend used it with total disregard for bowling figures one season.

If I ever manage to make a bat as good as this one I’ll be a happy chappy.

So… I’d wandered back inside to get my bat gauge and saw this bat in one of the outer houses as I passed. I briefly reminisced about all the good times we’d had and just couldn’t resist having a go at making this shape. Since this bat was around 2lbs 14oz in its prime I figured I had a perfect foundation to make another one.

I’m sure by now you know that the shape I have in my head and the shape the bat ends up being are never the same. So I didn’t bother breaking out the ruler and graph paper.

Spot the difference between the two pictures below, apart from the glaringly obvious?

The difference is this. The plane has moved to the business end of the bench. I think my drawknife and I are destined to fall out, but until I can afford a new one we’ll have to make do in this loveless relationship.

I tend to make my bats with a convex sweep to the toe rather than a concave one. Hopefully the photo above illustrates what I mean. I feel I’m leaving more wood in this area than needs to be there. In future I think I’ll undertake this part of the shaping last to give myself chance of leaving it like that.

How happy am I that I kept this round bottom plane. It puts my old one to shame performance wise and makes shaping the back incredibly easy in comparison to previous experiences with round bottom planes.

The light shows a clear transition between the shape running towards the spine and the toe.

The toe did go a little convex as per usual. I get a little bit scared of ruining it, so I err on the side or caution. Remember, you can always take it off but you can’t put it back on.

Some fine finishing, binding and TLC later. It looks like this. 2lbs 14.3oz with one grip.

That “blemish” near the toe makes the grain on the back shift peculiarly around it.

A better picture of the profile, the light in the workshop was messing my camera about.

I’ve done “The Glyny Bat” proud I think. Whilst by no means an exact copy, it’s quality bat in its own right. An homage to a shape I hold dear to my heart.

Beachcricket

@BeachcricketWWW

http://wieldingwhitewillow.blogspot.com/

http://www.cricketinsight.co.uk/forum/index.php

2012/13 Spartan Cricket Preview

Tom — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 09:29:44 +0000

Spartan have received a lot of coverage since the turn of 2012. With high profile signings including Chris Gayle and Michael Clarke added to their roster which already included Australian fast bowler Mitchell Johnson.

For the 2012/13 they’ve introduced a number of ranges of bats, pads and gloves. The bats are available in 3 shapes, the MC (Michael Clarke), MJ (Mitchell Johnson) and the CG (Chris Gayle).

The MC bat is available in various grades and even includes an indoor version. It’s all available in Australian retailers from July onwards. Keep an eye out for an upcoming UK launch too.

Inside the Anthem Sports cricket bat factory in India

Tom — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 11:18:54 +0000

We’ve covered the factories in India previously, with a number of photos. Now thanks to Josh Gavan, a member of the Cricket Insight forum, we have an 11 minute long video which Josh filmed on a recent trip to the Anthem Sports factory in Jalandhar.

The final product and workmanship is amazing, considering the limited amount of tools and technology used

The Fun and Frustration of Finishing

Beachcricket — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 09:52:41 +0000

When you get the finish just right, there’s fewer parts of the process that can be as satisfying. Seeing the grain of the wood come to life, along with the blemishes is rewarding. Usually, people want to cleanest looking, straightest grained piece of willow they can find, but the blemishes add character in my opinion.

Despite my usual enthusiasm for finishing, it was not an enjoyable experience with this bat. I’ve been experimenting with different abrasives and techniques recently. Whilst my finishing is satisfactory, the time it takes is not. The longer I stand there sanding, the dustier I get and the more worn my hands become. I’d like to say that my hands are like those of a seasoned lumberjack…

They’re not though, so I need to start finding alternatives. That doesn’t mean I’ll be buying a sander, I’d rather buy The Anarchist’s Tool Chest by Christopher Schwarz.

Given that we have a good idea of how the finishing went, we’ll get onto the shaping part of this bat. It weighed a whopping 3lbs 13oz, so barring a small miracle I could safely assume that I wouldn’t be making a 2lbs 6oz bat with 40mm edges.

I started out wanting to make a bat that had edges that were at their thickest just under half way up the blade and no concaving. But as always the shape changes.

I had to use my spokeshave across the grain here for some reason. When I went up or down the blade it was having none of it. Weird?!?!

Blending the area around the swell of the middle.

I should mention I have started to use my round bottom plane and travisher to take some weight out. I’d reached a point where I was going to be taking height from the spine after having reduced the edges considerably. In other news, my travisher is now in my tool rotation again. The new mouth I made has had a dramatic impact on the quality of the tool, it makes me wonder why it was originally made in the manner it was.

SCRATCHES!

I’m not sure if the three pictures above are from when I finished it for the second time or third?. Either way we know how that turned out.

And now for something completely different…

This window has been stuck shut for a while, but a rubber mallet solved that. As soon as it opened the air was so much cleaner. A nice little breeze helped to get rid of the dust from sanding, rather than it just settling on EVERYTHING!

Hello to fresh air.

It weighs a healthy 2lbs 15.6oz with one grip. I didn’t make it for anyone in particular, just a good learning experience making a bat with a heavy cleft. I quite like the balance of the bat for something this heavy, but I can’t justify having three match bats…

…or can I?

Beachcricket

@BeachcricketWWW

http://wieldingwhitewillow.blogspot.com/

http://www.cricketinsight.co.uk/forum/index.php