~ Your Bat's Care ~

Your SG bat is a quality product. The playing life of your bat relates directly to the preparation, maintenance and care of the bat throughout its life.

Cricket bats are made from a soft fibrous piece of willow. They are designed to hit the ball 10-20 cms above the base of the blade, and in the centre. It must be expected that failure to do this will create problems. Each blade possesses its own characteristics, and requires individual attention to obtain the optimum performance from the bat. It is essential that a bat is thoroughly "knocked in" for a couple of weeks prior to using in a match. This allows the willow to develop its maximum strength and sweetest feel.

~ Knocking-in ~

Knocking-in is the process by which the fibres of the willow in the face and edges of the bat are compressed and knitted together to form a strong outer resistance, and a barrier to the impact of a cricket ball. This can be done by playing the blade against an old cricket ball, preferably in the nets -- avoiding any hard shots. Alternatively, an old ball can be put in a sock, hung on a string, and hit over and over again.

To test whether the bat has been adequateky knocked-in, press firmly on the edges with, say the edge of a ruler or perhaps the blunt-end of a kitchen knife, positioned between the thumb and index-finger. If an indentation appears, further knocking-in needs to be done. Also, gradually use the bat against a relatively newer ball. If seam marks appear, more knocking-in is required.

The knocking-in process should be done carefully and thoroughly. To a large extent, the effective life of your bat is determined by the knocking-in process. By this, you are actually attempting to make the face and edges of your bat harder than when the bat was purchased, to minimise the damage from an edged stroke. Special attention should be given to the toe area, as there is an imminent risk of causing cracks and/or splits across the base of the bat if struck too hard.

Always remember each bat is an individual piece of willow, having its own characteristics -- created differently from one another due to varying natural conditions. One bat may require minimal preparation, while another one may need many more days of patient preparation. This, unfortnately, canout be determined beforehand, until the bat has been knocked-in and tested by the abovementioned methods.

~ Surface cracking ~

You must expect surface cracks to appear with normal use. This does not usually constitute faulty workmanship or inferior raw material. This potential problem can be minimised by applying self-adhesive plaster tape along the edges, and is available with all medical stores in India.

Surface cracking will appear on all bats after a period of use. However, their appearance on new bats can be attributed to either improper knocking-in. Or using sub-standard balls that that tend to be are abnormally harder. Surface cracks do not harm the bat's performance. All bats will eventually have some surface cracking. The aim of knocking-in a bat is to delay these cracks for as long as possible.

After a period of use, your bat may start to show signs of dryness, making some of the surface cracks protrude. When this occurs, give the bat a light sanding to remove the excess dirt build-up. This allows the bat to breathe more easily. Then very lightly, apply a coating of linseed oil onto the hitting areas of the blade, which moisturises and extends the life of the blade. Let the bat lie horizontally overnight.

RARELY IS A BAT MAUFACTURED UNFIT FOR THE PURPOSE FOR WHICH IT WAS INTENDED.
IT IS WHAT HAPPENS TO THE BAT AFTER IT LEAVES THE FACTORY THAT MATTERS.

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