Kashmir willow......any good ??

eoin-dubh

Are branded cricket bats now being copied in the sub-continent ??

some top name bats going very cheap on-line..............

TrueDub

eoin-dubh wrote: »

Are branded cricket bats now being copied in the sub-continent ??

some top name bats going very cheap on-line..............

Personally I wouldn't dream of buying a bat online. Eddie Dwyer in Pembroke HC has a full range, and you can pick them up and get the feel of them before plonking down your hard-earned.

randomer

eoin-dubh wrote: »

Are branded cricket bats now being copied in the sub-continent ??

some top name bats going very cheap on-line..............

Those bats on ebay, Kashmir willow and "nurtured" english willow, are fakes. The bats are all generic and then they put poor quality copies of the main manufacturers stickers on them.

For young kids who are playing with a soft ball they are fine, otherwise they are completely useless.

legend73

Nonsense - Kashmir Willow is not matured as long as English. It is harder and requires a bit more of a knock. I bought about 20 of these online - you wouldn't pay more then 50 quid. One bat hit over a 1000 runs (mine) in a year and has been a good training bat. Like all Kasmir bats it has now split, they don't do well in the car boot!

But I also have a 300 quid grey nichols that I bought in Australia. Lasted about 3 months before the splice split.

In my opinion, getting a bat from India, shipped to the door for 50 quid is a bargain. Bats don't last 10 years like they use to, 1-2 seasons and then its a new bat, why pay 100+? At the end of the day its not the bat - its how you use it.

Don't get sucked in by branding and advertising.

randomer

legend73 wrote: »

Don't get sucked in by branding and advertising.

A lot of the bats that are sold on Ebay come with branded stickers (Kookaburra, Gray Nicolls etc.) but they are not manufactured by these companies. They are generic bats that have the branded stickers put on.

legend73 wrote: »

One bat hit over a 1000 runs (mine) in a year and has been a good training bat.

Was this in Ireland? The last two summers have been so bad there has been a lot of matches rained off. I wasn't aware than anyone had hit 1000 runs in a season. Congratulations!

legend73

randomer wrote: »

A lot of the bats that are sold on Ebay come with branded stickers (Kookaburra, Gray Nicolls etc.) but they are not manufactured by these companies. They are generic bats that have the branded stickers put on.



Was this in Ireland? The last two summers have been so bad there has been a lot of matches rained off. I wasn't aware than anyone had hit 1000 runs in a season. Congratulations!

Top point: Yes it is true they are generic bats, but many of them are actually superior to english willow, especially for 20-20 cricket. In fact many of them are made to order and are hand crafted.

Second point: I didn't make 1000 runs last year. In 2007, I made 550 in league, 300 in 20/20. The other runs came from lending the bat out, both in 20/20 and league games of which it easily accumlated another 500 odd runs in the middle. The bat is still going in nets today and probably made about 500 runs last year, but I didnt use the bat that much last season.

Anyway if you treat it as a bat for 1 or 2 season in Ireland, with the pace of the wickets and the bowling it won't be a bother. You're just as likely to kill a 300 quid bat as you are a 30 quid bat.

The biggest tip with both Kashmir and English Willow is to store them in a dry temperate place, like a cupboard - drying bats out reduces their life very quickly.

legend73

eoin-dubh wrote: »

Are branded cricket bats now being copied in the sub-continent ??

some top name bats going very cheap on-line..............

Oh and as for this question, 100% yes. However that being said Kookaburra have a plant in India as do SS, MBF, Reebok and many others.

The trick is to find a good supplier. 95% of bats out of India are Kashmir willow, which is harder and not allowed to mature. A good mature english willow bat will have anywhere between 6-8 grains of wood.
The Kashmir willow bats have 11-15 grains of wood.

I can't tell you the science behind it, but the English willow bats are soft and maluable, and once knocked in give a superior strike. However Kashmir bats are hard and almost ready to go with some protection like a fibre sheet and have massive sweet spots and I found them to be excellent for bottom handed stroke play.

eoin-dubh

legend73 wrote: »

Oh and as for this question, 100% yes. However that being said Kookaburra have a plant in India as do SS, MBF, Reebok and many others.

The trick is to find a good supplier. 95% of bats out of India are Kashmir willow, which is harder and not allowed to mature. A good mature english willow bat will have anywhere between 6-8 grains of wood.
The Kashmir willow bats have 11-15 grains of wood.

I can't tell you the science behind it, but the English willow bats are soft and maluable, and once knocked in give a superior strike. However Kashmir bats are hard and almost ready to go with some protection like a fibre sheet and have massive sweet spots and I found them to be excellent for bottom handed stroke play.

Thanks for all the replies.......:)

Those bats on e-bay do look nice for those cheap prices........

but the postage costs are off putting !!

legend73

That is how they make thier money, I used a few different suppliers to check them out. If you do decide to buy a bat, get two of them! Both the guys I used would combine shipping so the cost is reduced and you will have a backup bat. I actually use to get 5 at a time, as many of my teammates saw 1st hand the runs being made and for 50 euro they couldnt go wrong.

TheDrog

I tend to pick up my bats in england same bats and significantly cheaper

eoin-dubh

Ok so I got a new Gray nics kashmir willow and batting pads on cheap from a proper english shop on e -bay......

delivered by courier 20 quid.

checked out Lion sports (Norn Ireland) re new Ireland one day top.........

postage 18 quid ( just the top !):mad:

PS will update later in season on new bat's survival !!

TheDrog

i've been using a gray nicolls ultimate lightning for a few years now. It's made from kashmir willow and to be honest i hate it. It cracked very quickly despite being oiled several times, it has no discernible middle and i've decided to just give up on it. this season is going to be about borrowing bats, used one of the lads lekka's last season and loved it so that will be the blade of choice whenever possible. Although one of the lads did have a new kookabura hmmm........