Bat Care

All the cricket bats sold by Cuzza Cricket are made by skilled craftsmen to exacting quality standards. Performance will vary from bat to bat, however. If you want to get the best out of your new bat, please follow these instructions. Also please remember that you cannot prevent all damage; during the lifetime of a bat some damage will occur and you can only do your best to help prevent it or slow the onset of terminal damage.

Toe Guard

All our bats are fitted with toe guards as they protect against damage to the vulnerable toe area and also stop water ingression and reduce friction damage when used on indoor surfaces, hard pitches or when tapping at the crease.

Clear Anti-scuff Face

A clear anti-scuff face will help prevent damage to the face and slow the process of the natural cracking of the willow. It really will extend the life of your bat without compromising on performance. An anti-scuff face is best used on a new bat as a preventative measure rather than as a repair when the damage has already been done.

Oiling the Bat

The purpose of oiling your bat is to help prevent the wood from drying out and becoming brittle. It also helps to soften and bind the surface fibres of the willow during the knocking-in process. By oiling the bat and especially the toe, you are also helping to prevent water ingression that could lead to the toe cracking and to the face peeling.

Cricket bats require oiling with raw linseed oil or special cricket bat oil. A minimum of two to three coats should be applied to the bat, leaving 24 hours between coats for the oil to dry and soak in. During the drying time the bat should be laid horizontally, out of direct sunlight. A full coat of oil (front, back and toe) is less than one teaspoon-full. Put a little more oil around the toe area of your bat. Avoid oiling the splice area and the stickers as the oil could loosen the glue. Also never stand the bat in oil or apply too much oil as this will deaden the wood resulting in very poor performance. After oiling, allow 2-3 days for complete drying before applying an anti-scuff face.

Knocking-in

Our pre-prepared or pre-knocked in bats means that they are part prepared in the factory, including oiling, pressing under a roller and some hand mallet knocking in. We still recommend some further knocking in with a bat mallet around the perimeter of the face of the bat and some gentle net practice against an older, softer cricket ball before full match use.

 If you are in any doubt, double check with us before you use and possibly damage the bat.