CRICKET BAT CLEFTS
For Bat Makers Who Care About Craft
We’re pleased to offer genuine English willow clefts and part-made cricket bats to bat makers across Australia.
Sourced direct from England and supplied from our Brisbane workshop, this is authentic English willow consistently graded, honestly prepared, and reliably supplied. Available as clefts or part-made cricket bats, these materials are supplied at wholesale pricing to approved bat makers.
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If you make cricket bats, you already understand how difficult reliable access to English willow can be. Quality varies. Supply is inconsistent. And it’s not always clear where timber has come from or how it’s been handled along the way.
At Cooper Cricket, we live this craft every day. We know the timber. We know the feel. We know what it takes to turn a piece of willow into a bat someone will trust with their innings.
Over the years, we’ve travelled back and forth to England, building long-term relationships with people from the English willow industry - the right people, doing things the right way. The result is reliable access to high-quality, accurately graded, genuine English willow, shipped direct from England to us here in Australia, without passing through third parties or other countries along the way.
This is the same English willow we use in our own workshop.
Graded accurately. Ready to work with.
We’re now pleased to offer English willow clefts and part-made cricket bats at wholesale prices to fellow bat makers across Australia.
PART MADES
A part-made cricket bat sits right in the sweet spot - where the heavy lifting is done, but the craft is still yours.
At its core, a part-made cricket bat is a pressed English willow cleft with a handle fitted, ready for shaping, finishing, and refining to suit your own style.
We offer three levels of part-made bats, depending on how much work you want done before it reaches your bench.
Level 1 - Part Made
English willow cleft is pressed
Minimal shaping completed
Handle fitted
Ends lightly cut to make shaping easier
This option gives you the most freedom to craft the bat exactly how you want it
Level 2 - Rough Shaped Part Made
English willow cleft is pressed
Bat is rough-shaped into an oversized bat profile
Handle fitted
A strong starting point that saves time while still leaving plenty of room for refinement
Level 3 - Near Finished Part Made
Pressed and shaped much closer to a finished bat
Handle fitted
Ready for final shaping, concaving, sanding, and finishing
Some makers will refine the shape further, others will leave it fuller, the final call is yours
CLEFTS
Our English willow clefts are supplied in their purest working form, ready for you to press, shape, and craft your own way.
Each cleft is genuine English willow, cut cleanly through the face and edges, prepared to cricket bat width and supplied ready to press or work with.
Your Cleft Options
When ordering clefts, you’ll choose:
- Grade of English willow
- Pressed or unpressed
English willow clefts are available via wholesale enquiry only.
GRADING
- 10+ grains
- Predominantly white willow with minimal heartwood
- Very straight grains
- Minimal to zero imperfections
- 6 - 9 grains
- Predominantly white willow
- Very straight grain structure
- Minimal imperfections
- Typically 5 - 9+ grains
- Mix of white willow and heartwood
- Some grain movement
- Minor to moderate face imperfections
- Around 4 - 7 grains
- Noticeable grain movement
- Moderate imperfections
- Mix of white willow and heartwood
- Predominantly heartwood through the blade
- More visible imperfections
- Strong character timber
- 10+ grains
- Predominantly white willow with minimal heartwood
- Very straight grains
- Minimal to zero imperfections
- 6 - 9 grains
- Predominantly white willow
- Very straight grain structure
- Minimal imperfections
- Typically 5 - 9+ grains
- Mix of white willow and heartwood
- Some grain movement
- Minor to moderate face imperfections
- Around 4 - 7 grains
- Noticeable grain movement
- Moderate imperfections
- Mix of white willow and heartwood
- Predominantly heartwood through the blade
- More visible imperfections
- Strong character timber
FAQ's
Yes
Yes. We welcome enquiries from schools - bat making is a great craft to teach.
No. Wholesale orders are quoted individually and shipping is charged separately.
Not yet, soon we will offer individual part-made bats via our retail range.
Write content to help your customers to better understand your products or policies.
Not at this stage.
We will be introducing these soon. Please keep an eye out.
No. Once goods leave our workshop, responsibility transfers to the buyer. Transit insurance can be arranged by the purchaser if required.
Once materials leave us, responsibility sits with the maker. We do not offer warranties on products you manufacture.