Laver & Wood Cricket

A Signature and Special Reserve combo off to the UAE. 2lbs 12ozs in weight and full size. A fuller Special profile. Always good to have a training bat to preserve the life of your match bat.

Mega runs are what we expect from this beast off locally to Ashley. If you are keen on one of these there are a couple of specials left on our website.

📖 Bat Lore 📖 Finishing off Chapter 14 - The Importance of Pressing Cricket Bat Willow

"Once the cleft has been pressed it can be fitted with a handle and the bat maker can start shaping, balancing and finishing can be done. After the finishing process has been completed and the bat is ready for sale it still needs to be conditioned before use so that the best performance and lifespan can be achieved. The conditioning or knocking in is best done using a hardwood mallet.

To work out if your bat is too hard or too soft, use an old ball in the nets and inspect the bat after a few shots to see if there are any deep seam marks on the face of the bat.

If the seam marks are only just visible then the bat is ready to use. If the marks are on the verge of splitting the willow this indicates the wood is slightly too soft and the bat still requires more knocking in.

If the bat is causing excessive vibration and there are no marks on the face of the bat whatsoever then this is an indication that the bat is too hard. Sometimes a handle that is too stiff also causes vibration, but first lightly oil the face of the bat to see if the bat has been pressed to hard.

Oil will provide some elasticity to the willow, hopefully restoring some of the performance back to the bat. This process may need to be repeated several times. If the bat has been substantially over pressed it will not be able to be revived with oil. In this case this bat is probably best converted into a net bat rather than being used as a match bat."

Next week we'll start Chapter 15: Traditional Bat Making 🤓 ...Or if you can't wait you can keep reading more of Bat Lore here: https://www.laverwood.com/bat-lore/

Aussie bound is this splendid Special Reserve grade bat for Hugh. 1/2” Longer handle and full size blade. Mid sweet spot and special profile at a weight of 2lbs10ozs.

A cracker of a Mini Maverick for Craig at the Movember Cricket Club. Here is a bit of info about the club in Waikato, NZ.
Movember Cricket Club is part of a larger initiative under the Movember Sports Club, which brings mates together to participate in community sports while raising awareness for men’s health. With the motto "With your mates, for your mates," these events create opportunities for social connection, fun, and making a positive impact. Movember recognises that community sport isn’t just about physical activity—it’s also crucial for mental well-being. 3 out of 4 men participate in weekly sport or recreation, and those who are sufficiently active are 38% more likely to report positive mental health.

At Movember Cricket Club, we’re proud to play cricket games all summer, building camaraderie while supporting an important cause. We're especially excited about our upcoming matches with our biggest focus this year being the third installment of the "Battle of the Tashes" 5-day test match against Seddon Cricket Club. This event is our major fundraiser for the year, bringing attention to men’s health and raising crucial funds to support Movember’s initiatives. Through sport, we’re continuing the conversation on men’s health and doing our part to drive change.

Feel free to reach out to Craig on [email protected] if you would like to know or or be involved in the games.

Some amazing history made in India today. We congratulate New Zealand but we also relish the next challenge ahead for India cricket as we know they will be a formidable force next game. As a New Zealand bat maker, what should we do to commemorate this occasion?

This super lightweight Featherlite at 2lbs4ozs went off to Asad in Auckland recently. Beautiful pickup and a nice performance. Perfect for someone that likes a super fast bat speed or is transitioning from a youth to full size bat.

Cruz will be looking forward to a heap of runs in Australia with this beauty. 2lbs 8ozs and full size in the Special profile. A bat well suited to a faster bat speed.

📖 Bat Lore 📖 Carrying on Chapter 14 - The Importance of Pressing Cricket Bat Willow

"The pressure is applied in increments of about ¼ ton. The bat is passed under the roller of the press around 6 times. To do this the piece of willow is secured into a bed fixed to a sliding base. This base is driven either by using a motorised system or hand propelled with a crank handle and geared wheel.

The willow is ideally reduced in size by between 5mm to 8mm under the pressure from the press. This will vary slightly depending on the qualities of the cleft, and the quality of the pressing will dictate the bats overall performance and durability.

Press the bat too hard and it will be “dead”, causing jarring when it hits the ball. Over pressing creates a thick, hard layer that prevents the softer layer of willow behind the pressed section affecting the impact of the bat on ball. The thick, hard layer absorbs most of the shock then transmits it through the handle to the player's hands.

If the willow is pressed too lightly it will be very soft on the surface, resulting in cracking when struck by the hard new ball. There is not much vibration through the handle though due to the soft wood absorbing most of the shock."

Next week we'll finish Chapter 14 🤓 ...Or if you can't wait you can keep reading more of Bat Lore here: https://www.laverwood.com/bat-lore/

Covering bases is what Nishkar has done here. A 1” long blade short handle set up and a 1” short blade 2” long handle setup in 2lbs 9 ozs. Off to get some good Australian 🇦🇺 runs.

Power and bat speed are packed into this beautiful Reserve for Eathen in Australia 🇦🇺. A mid to high sweet spot Mega profile at 2lbs 10ozs in weight. The custom engraving really sets it off.

A gorgeous Signature bat here for Dan here in NZ. Longer blade with a Mid to Low sweet spot and 2lbs 8ozs.

📖 Bat Lore 📖
Beginning Chapter 14 - The Importance of Pressing Cricket Bat Willow

"The game of cricket involves a bat that is made of a soft material and a ball made of a hard material. The ball, although hard on the outside, is designed to change shape slightly on impact thus minimising any potential damage to the bat. The bat is designed to withstand the pressure of the hard surface of the new ball.

Pressing is important for two reasons. Without pressing the willow absorbs the velocity of the ball, rather than transference of the energy back to the ball. The hard surface created by pressing also protects the bat from damage. A key part of the batmakers’ craft is getting the right balance between pressing too softly and having a bat that lacks durability, and pressing too hard so its performance is killed.

Cricket bats have been pressed since the early 1800's. Prior to shaping and balancing, the piece of willow was subjected to a huge amount of pressure by striking the surface of the willow with a heavy mallet. Pressing in this manner resulted in a very hard layer of compressed willow that made the bat very resilient to wear and tear. The only problem with this method was that the bat was very often too hard and did not perform.

An English batmaker from the 1890's, C Bussey, invented a mechanical press that rolled the face of the bat. Bussey maintained that if the bat cracked under the strain of the machine the bat was unsuitable for use due to an inherent weakness in the wood fibres. These bats were widely regarded as good bats because they lasted over many seasons of hard use. It was, however, very hard to hit the ball all the way to the boundary rope as they were limited in their performance.

Bats today are all pressed mechanically by several different types of roller variations that have pressure applied by pneumatic, hydraulic, sprung or weighted cantilever systems. Most pressing machines apply pressures of around 1 ½ - 2 ½ tons per square inch."

Next week we'll carry on Chapter 14 🤓 ...Or if you can't wait you can keep reading more of Bat Lore here: https://www.laverwood.com/bat-lore/

Nothing like wreaking a new bandsaw blade on a nail. I haven’t had this happen in more than 20 years 🤣. Please don’t put nails in cricket bats 🙏

A customised Signature bat here that also has unique custom labels that really set it off. 1” Longer blade with a Short handle and only 2lbs9ozs. This one is off to Chennai 🇮🇳 India for a very special friend.

Hybrid is all the go these days. Here is an epic wee boundary boomer. 2lbs 8ozs and ready to get stuck into some runs. A cross between the EX38 and Legacy profile.

Heavy Tennis ball cricket is all go. Here is Sandeep’s bat in the way currently to the USA 🇺🇸👌. 1cm shorter blade full size handle and 2lbs4ozs in weight. 6’s all the way for sure.
You can customise your bat on our website 💪

Butterfly all the way here for Harpreet in the USA. 1/2” Longer blade 2lbs 11ozs and Mega profile. No labels here for the cleaner look.