Bat Care

KNOCKING IN

Australian climatic conditions are harsh. It is important that you care for your cricket bat. If you leave your bat in the boot or back seat for long periods, or leave it in the sun, it will dry out. This may cause it to split. 

  1. We recommend 1-2 light coats of raw linseed oil (from any hardware shop), allowing time to dry between each coat. Remember, less is best. (approximately half a cap full will do both the back and front)
  2. Apply oil to the face, toe, back and sides of the bat, avoiding stickers. Keep oil away from the splice. Leave the bat horizontal during the drying period for 24 hours. It is recommended to apply the oil with your fingers as opposed to using a cloth, as oil will tend to soak into the cloth on application. We suggest one light coat to the back, and two to the face.
  3. After initial oiling is complete, play the bat in with an old leather ball or bat mallet (NOT a bowling machine, plastic or composite balls), and at various intervals bone the face and edges. (Buy a shin bone of beef from the butcher, cook it, remove the meat, allow to cool, then use the bone to rub the face and side edges of the bat – this hardens the wood.) When using a bat mallet, start by hitting the centre of the face of the bat with reasonable force so you start to see small dents. Don’t worry, this is normal. Work your way over the entire face of the blade (up to the bottom of the sticker) ironing out these dents forming a flat surface. When using the mallet near the face edges or toe, use less force and do not hit the flat side of the edges 90 degrees to the face as this will cause damage to the blade. Each bat is different so exact times to knock in vary. We suggest 3-4 hours with a mallet, which should take around 2 – 3 weeks with careful but consistent work of around 15 minutes a day.
  4. After playing in of the bat is completed, you may at various times find that the bat is drying out or losing moisture. We suggest a light sanding with very fine sandpaper up and down the grain (never across), a very light oil to moisten the face, and a good boning will bring it up and help to add life to your bat. We also suggest that this is done before storing at the completion of each season.

CARING FOR YOUR BAT

DO NOT OVER OIL YOUR BAT – excessive oil will add unnecessary weight, may spoil driving power, or even cause wood rot. Remember less oil is better than too much.

DO NOT OIL SPLICE OR HANDLE – oil on the splice or handle will cause the glue holding your handle in place to weaken.

DO NOT EXPOSE YOUR BAT TO DAMP OR WET SURFACES – do not allow the base of your bat to get wet as this will cause the toe of the bat to swell and cause cracking.

DO NOT USE YOUR BAT AGAINST A BOWLING MACHINE – we recommend that you only use an old bat for practice against a bowling machine. Using excessively hard non-leather balls will damage your bat.

DO NOT USE CHEAP BALLS – Playing a quality cricket bat against a less resilient cheap ball will cause damage to your bat.  Quality blades are designed to give the best results against good quality leather balls. Avoid using plastic or composite balls at all times.

STORING YOUR BAT - Store your bat in a cool dry environment (avoiding centrally-heated rooms which can dry out the natural moisture and can make the willow brittle). It is also recommended you store in a full length bat cover for added protection.

RESPECT YOUR BAT – Throwing your bat or hitting the ground with it will cause damage to both your bat and your cricketing reputation. This type of damage is easily recognised and will not be covered by Lyrebird Cricket.