NEWS

Over the years the cricket bat's evolution has been quite amazing.

Back when things were black and white, cricket bats were made just like they are now. English willow, cane handle, binding to keep the handle and bat joint strong and a grip. The difference was that the willow had more moisture in it and bats were oiled regularly with linseed oil.

What do the English willow grades mean and who grades them?

At Cooper Cricket, we carry 5 grades of English willow and these are graded by our willow supplier. There grades are:

• Players Pro
• Players Grade
• Grade One
• Grade Two
• Butterfly

Cricket bat binding is a very simple, but necessary part of the cricket bat making process.

It helps add stability and strength to the cricket bat handle. Handles are made from pieces of Malaysian Sarawak cane, generally 6 or 12 individual pieces that come together to form the cricket bat handle. Once a handle is inserted into a cricket bat, PVC glue is applied to the handle and the binding is tightly wrapped in a single layer along the entire length of the handle, giving the handle stability and strength.

Rod Grey, the founder of Cooper Cricket finds himself in a career that has been 30+ years in the making.

Rod fell in love with cricket when he was a boy, growing up in Townsville. He tried his hand at indoor cricket initially, then moved to Norths Cricket Club in Townsville where he played at junior, senior and representative levels.

How good does this bat look?

We recently made this custom made cricket bat for a customer who tailored the Believe cricket bat to make it uniquely his.

Using the Cooper Customiser, he choose:

• Willow grade
• Weight
• Handle shape
• Handle length
• Blade size
• Grip colour
• Sticker colour combination

At Cooper Cricket we only use English willow to make our cricket bats. 

That's it.

Nothing else.