The History of Cricket Bats

The Bat

• The first cricket bats resembled the modern hockey stick. The first bats were very heavy at the base with a thin shaft.
  Cricket rules placed no restrictions on what size and shape the bat needed to be, however, there were gentlemen's agreements on the size and width of the bat.

Restrictions on Size

• An enterprising player, Shock White, from a club called Ryegate decided to use a bat the width of a stump in 1771. This sent shock waves through the cricket world.
  This led to the restricting the width of the bat to a maximum of 4 1/4 inches.
  Before 1830, the bats were all one piece. Bats were very easily shattered in two so a handle was added to the bat in 1830. This cut down on the bats being broken all the time.
  An additional restriction was added in 1835 to limit the bat to 38 inches in length.

Construction

• Many types of wood were used to make the cricket bat before English Willow Wood, or more specifically " Salix Alba Caerulea," was settled upon.
  This type of wood was more resilient upon impact of the ball and was tough enough yet light enough for the players to use.
  These original bats weighed up to 5 lbs.

Change in Construction of the Bat

• English manufacturer C.C. Bussey found that the heartwood of The English Willow Tree was too heavy so he decided to use the sapwood of the tree, instead, in 1890. By using this part of the tree it made the cricket bat lighter.
  This style of bat began to catch on and many cricket players began using the bat made of "White Willow."
  The weight of this bat was between 2 lbs. and 2 lbs. 4 oz.
  The use of this style of bat was referred to as "The Golden Age of Batting." The bats of this era were very slim, straight in profile, and had very thin edges.
  By 1920, the pendulum swung back in favor of using the heavier bats. The weight of the bats ranged from 2.2 lbs. to 2.9 lbs.
  The most famous of the big bats was Bill Ponsford's "Big Bertha." This baby weighed 2.9 pounds.
  Players found by using the heavier bat the bat lasted longer.

Design of The Cricket Bat

• The original design of the cricket bat has remained fairly standard. Not much has changed except the weight of the blades. In the modern game of cricket, the weight of the blades sometimes exceeds 3 lbs.
  The batsman has found he can score more runs by using a heavier bat.

The Modern Bat

• Bat makers have discovered that by using well-placed scoops, hollows, plugs and cores they can enhance the sweet part of the bat, thus allowing hitters to knock the ball out of the playing field.
  Bat makers also discovered that by pressing the timber less they could make the blade heavier with a very light feel and thus generate more bat speed to score more runs.
  The downside to this innovation is that cricket bats tended to have a very short life. They could only score a thousand runs before they needed to be replaced.