CRICKET BAT

A?cricket bat?is a specialised piece of equipment used by?batters?in the sport of?cricket?to hit the?ball, typically consisting of a cane handle attached to a flat-fronted?willow-wood blade. It may also be used by a batter who is making?ground?to avoid a?run out, by holding the bat and touching the ground with it. The length of the bat may be no more than 38 inches (96.5?cm) and the width no more than 4.25 inches (10.8?cm). Its use is first mentioned in 1624. Since 1979, a?law change?has provided that cricket bats can only be made from wood.

Construction

Shaving a cricket bat

The?blade?of a cricket bat is a wooden block that is generally flat on the striking face and with a ridge on the reverse (back) which concentrates wood in the middle where the ball is generally hit. The bat is traditionally made from?willow?wood, specifically from a variety of white willow called cricket bat willow (Salix alba?var.?caerulea), treated with raw (unboiled)?linseed oil, which has a protective function. This variety of willow is used as it is very tough and shock-resistant, not being significantly dented nor splintering on the impact of a cricket ball at?high speed, while also being light in weight. The face of the bat is often covered with a protective film by the user. In 1900?Percy Stuart Surridge?developed a reinforced toe.

The blade is connected to a long cylindrical?cane?handle, similar to that of a mid-20th-century?tennis racquet, by means of a?splice. The handle is usually covered with a rubber grip. Bats incorporate a wooden spring design where the handle meets the blade. The current design of a cane handle spliced into a willow blade through a?tapered?splice was the invention in the 1880s of?Charles Richardson, a pupil of?Brunel?and the first Chief Engineer of the?Severn Railway Tunnel.?Spliced handles had been used before this but tended to break at the corner of the join. The taper provides a more gradual transfer of load from the bat's blade to the handle and avoids this problem.

The edges of the blade closest to the handle are known as the?shoulders?of the bat, and the bottom of the blade is known as the?toe?of the bat.

Bats were not always this shape. Before the 18th century bats tended to be shaped similarly to a modern?hockey sticks. This may well have been a legacy of the game's reputed origins. Although the first forms of cricket are obscure, it may be that the game was first played using?shepherd's crooks.

Maintenance

When first purchased, most bats are not ready for immediate use and require knocking-in to allow the soft fibres to strike a hard new cricket ball without causing damage to the bat, and allowing full power to be transferred to the shot. Knocking-in involves striking the surface with an old cricket ball or a special?mallet. This compacts the soft fibres within the bat and reduces the risk of the bat snapping. The bat may also need?raw linseed oil, which fills in the gaps between the fibres.

Raw linseed oil is used, rather than?boiled linseed oil, as the raw form is also a?drying oil?but very slow "drying", and so the surface remains tacky. Applied regularly, this has a protective effect on the wood and makes it less sensitive to humidity changes in the atmosphere, which could cause warping or splitting. Another important factor is that it increases the surface friction of the ball to bat surface, giving better control of the shot. A worn surface can be noticed by the player, indicating that re-oiling is needed