At Lyrebird cricket, we feel a customised bat is not just about the willow grade or weight, but more about the personal feel, pick up, balance and rebound ability off the bat face. However being a tailor made bat, we do offer all 3 grades of English willow.
Grading of willow refers to the visual appearance of the timber, rather than its performance. You can sometimes find that a lower graded blade (grades 2 or 3) may outperform and outlast a higher grade bat. Unfortunately, these days if it does not look "clean and white” some people do not consider buying it. However lower grades of timber do make excellent bats that are very strong and perform well. You might find that some bat manufacturers will bleach their timber just to give it a better appearance - you can rest assured that we will never do that.
In lower graded timber you may find some butterfly stains, plus possibly a number of blemishes or knots on the blade and a grain that doesn’t run perfectly straight. Generally, the more colour in the blade the lower the grade. However there is little, if any, difference in performance and it is purely a perception that if it looks good, it will play better - this is not the case. In fact, butterfly stain (the stain resembles the shape of a butterfly) used to be very popular for its superior strength and playing ability.
You may also find sections of timber referred to as redwood. This is also known as the heartwood of a tree and its cells usually contain tannins or other substances that make it dark in colour. It is generally strong, resistant to decay and has no adverse effects on bat performance.
Lyrebird Cricket can supply all grades of genuine high quality Australian grown English willow (Willow Blue) to meet your personal needs.
Grade 1 - This is the finest willow. The face will be unblemished with tight straight grains. There may be a small amount of redwood running along the side of the face and small knots on the back or edges only. The face of the bat should be clean. The grain on the face will be straight and there will be at least 6 to 12 grains visible.
Grade 2 - This is a very good quality cleft with tight grains which may not always be perfectly straight. Some small visual blemishes or a larger amount of redwood on the face and edges of the bat may be present. Neither of these slight timber defects will affect the blade's performance - it is purely cosmetic. There will be at least 6 to 12 grains on the face of the bat with possibly some minor blemishes, pin knots or “specks” visible.
Grade 3 – This is a popular grade as it offers very good value for money. A grade 3 blade may have a significant amount of redwood across the face of the bat. This has no affect on the playing ability, however it may be less visually appealing to those who prefer a clean faced bat. There will be a minimum of 6 to 8 grains on the face of the bat which may not always be perfectly straight. A small number of knots or most likely, “butterfly” stains may be present with perhaps more prominent “specks”.