Cricket Bat Advice

[big kev]

Hello all

Does anyone know whether it is good to spray wd 40 to get sticky muck off your bat?
My bat is a slazenger v900 kashmir, with a cloth cover, and it is 2-3 years old(family friend gave it to me).
Well, this sticky muck came from my attempts to secure the grip to the bat at the start of the handle and shoulders of the bat. I used duct tape, and while it looked alright for the first few weeks, it started peeling off. So, does anyone know a way to secure grips to bats with cloth covers?

What should I do?
a) fix my kookaburra predator(it is a pretty good bat, light, which suits my technique because all I do is block at no.11), because when you shake the bat, you hear this clicky/creaky sound, so I need to replace the handle
b) buy a new bat )not really in the mood for that as I've still got 3 bats, then I would have 4

Which bat should I use in games?

Slazenger v900 - A little heavy, but no problems with the bat,
Cricket Australia bat - have to oil it, knock it in etc, but it seems to be the right weight
Kookaburra Predator - a good weight, but gets creaky handle fro time to time, and a bit weak


Last question
What is a good indicator of a bat being too small?
The shoulders of my bats are up to my knees, so I hope they won't be too small by next season, when Ill be in the 14's.

Thanks a lot

 

[Spiderlounge]

Firstly, it's much better to have a bat that is too small rather than too big. If it's too big and heavy you won't be able to play your shots correctly, you'll play badly, learn bad technique, and possibly get frustrated, get dropped from the team, or you may even end up giving up entirely. If your bat's shoulder comes up to your knees it's the right size, and don't ever buy a bat expecting to grow into it - always use the bat that's the right size at that time, or failing that a little too small won't hurt. There's a junior at my club who's still quite small but a fantastic batsman, one of the leading scorers in the league at his age. One day I saw him in the nets and he was batting terribly, missing loads, and getting really annoyed with himself. I couldn't understand it but it turned out he'd borrowed a bat that was too big for him - when he came back the following week with his own properly-sized bat he was back to batting like a champ again.

As for the sticky stuff, unless you're not too attached to the bat I would avoid at all costs using WD40 anywhere where it could get into the wood as I'm pretty sure it will damage it in some way. If there's gooey muck to take off I usually use a penknife or any flat surface like a credit card (not one I intend to use, obviously) and scrape it off with that. If it won't budge you might find a bit of linseed oil might help.

As for attaching the grip to the bat I've found that whatever I use the grip will move around and loosen the tape, especially when I lend my bat to people who are really powerful hitters. I use vinyl electrical tape and when it starts to come off I just take the loose tape off and put new tape on. I keep a roll of tape and some scissors in my bag.

 

[russellbarnard]

Firstly, it's much better to have a bat that is too small rather than too big. If it's too big and heavy you won't be able to play your shots correctly, you'll play badly, learn bad technique, and possibly get frustrated, get dropped from the team, or you may even end up giving up entirely. If your bat's shoulder comes up to your knees it's the right size, and don't ever buy a bat expecting to grow into it - always use the bat that's the right size at that time, or failing that a little too small won't hurt. There's a junior at my club who's still quite small but a fantastic batsman, one of the leading scorers in the league at his age. One day I saw him in the nets and he was batting terribly, missing loads, and getting really annoyed with himself. I couldn't understand it but it turned out he'd borrowed a bat that was too big for him - when he came back the following week with his own properly-sized bat he was back to batting like a champ again.

As for the sticky stuff, unless you're not too attached to the bat I would avoid at all costs using WD40 anywhere where it could get into the wood as I'm pretty sure it will damage it in some way. If there's gooey muck to take off I usually use a penknife or any flat surface like a credit card (not one I intend to use, obviously) and scrape it off with that. If it won't budge you might find a bit of linseed oil might help.

As for attaching the grip to the bat I've found that whatever I use the grip will move around and loosen the tape, especially when I lend my bat to people who are really powerful hitters. I use vinyl electrical tape and when it starts to come off I just take the loose tape off and put new tape on. I keep a roll of tape and some scissors in my bag.

Yes 100% that's where I went wrong last season started alright (17, 18) then got a new bat slightly heavier and for the rest of the season my top score was...4. Saying that I have gone back to the original bat this year and first two games have been 2 & 2* but I'm sure this like you say is the right bat to go for.

As for cleaning up the bat i usually use some sandpaper about a week before the season starts then apply some linseed oil and bees wax which always seems to keep my bat in good order it also smells great