Frequently asked questions.
VIKING CRICKET BAT GRADING
Grade 1+ (LE)
These clefts are Limited in availability as they are the very best unbleached English willow. These clefts are reserved for our pros and for our Valhalla LE bat, These are the best clefts money can buy. The blade is unbleached with 7-12+ straight grains and are blemish free to a large extent. They are chosen for grain structure & weight.
Grade 1 (SE)
These clefts are made from the finest and best looking English willow they may have some heartwood evident, they will have 6 -10 grains with a slightly broader grain.
Grade 2 (PRO)
These clefts are exactly like the SE excellent quality clefts, but may have the odd blemish fleck or butterfly on the face, neither of these will effect the performance of the bat nor it’s lifetime, again they may have some heartwood evident. They will have 6-8 grains.
Grade 3 (CLUB)
These clefts are good quality may have more heartwood than the SE or PRO, have blemishes like fleck, pin knots or butterfly staining but will not effect the bats performance or lifetime. The grain structure may have a slight wobble and not be perfectly straight at the top or bottom. They will have 4-6 grains.
CRICKET BAT SIZE GUIDE
If you are looking for a new bat and you’re not sure what size you need then this Cricket Bat Size Guide should help give you a good idea.
One of the questions we get asked the most is about bats sizes, mostly for young cricketers who are continuously growing.
Before the start of every season check your existing bat is right for you. When choosing a new bat it’s important to get one that’s the right size and the correct weight, playing with a bat that’s too heavy or too light will effect the way you time the ball and can impact upon performance.
WEIGHT AND PICK UP
Big edges and massive profile or lightweight which is best, there is no correct answer everybody is different we honestly feel after years of experience picking up a number of bats will in the end give you the right weight and feel for what you need.
If you follow this simple rule it should help you to find a bat that’s right for you and that in turn should help you feel confident, it’s simply down to the feel of the bat.
MCC LAW 5 – MATCH LEGAL BATS
On the 1st October 2017, the MCC introduced an amendment to Law 5. This limits the overall size of the bat, which means that no bat is permissible which has either an edge thicker than 40mm or a spine height in excess of 67mm (allowing for a 7mm curve to the face of the bat – if there is no curve then the maximum spine height can be as small as 60mm). You can be rest assured that every Viking Cricket bat is match legal.
CRICKET EQUIPMENT SIZE GUIDE
KNOCKING IN A CRICKET BAT
The most important thing after buying a new Cricket Bat is looking after it.
How to get the best out of your new bat:
Almost all new cricket bats require knocking in before use.
Knocking in is the process of hardening and conditioning the blade’s surface. There are two reasons for knocking in; firstly, it protects the bat from cracking as well as increasing its usable life and secondly, it improves the middle of the bat so the middle is bigger and better. The nature of the game of cricket is a hard ball is propelled at high speed toward the batsman who swings the bat in the attempt of hitting the ball. This contact will cause an insufficiently prepared bat to crack very quickly and therefore have a short life span.
Cricket bats are pressed in our bat-making workshop using a mechanical press. The mechanical press applies up to two tons per square inch of pressure to the face of the bat through a roller. Willow, in its natural state, is a very soft timber and has to be pressed to form a hard, resilient layer on the surface. Once this has been done, the bat can be shaped.
The knocking in process:
There are different ways of preparing your bat for the knocking in process, but we recommend the following process as repeated trials in bat factories around the world have shown that this works far better than all other methods.
Raw linseed oil should be used to moisten the surface of the bat and enable the fibres to become supple. This helps them knit together, thus forming an elastic surface. This is more likely to stretch on impact, rather than crack. Raw linseed is used, as it stays moist for longer than boiled linseed.
We recommend that oil should be applied once before the process of compressing the face begins. Please Note Your bat will come already oiled. (a coat of oil should be about the size of a 10 pence piece). When applying oil spread the oil over the face of the bat using your fingers. Spread any leftover linseed oil over the edges of the bat. Let the coat of oil soak in overnight before starting the knocking in with the mallet. NEVER OVER OIL YOUR BAT
If the bat is hit on the edge at 90 degrees to the face, it will reduces the width of the bat and is making contact with an area not mechanically pressed. This increases the likelihood of cracking and you should not be hitting the ball flush on the edge in any case. You should always knock in the edges of your new bat, even if you have had the knocking in service the edges aren’t included as the machine cannot do this area.
With a hardwood bat mallet the knocking in process should take between 10 to 15 sessions of about 10 minutes each. Once you have completed this process take the bat and play a few shots WITH A GOOD QUALITY CRICKET BALL If the bat is showing deep seam marks then it needs more compressing. However you will always get some seam marks on the face of the bat but they shouldn’t be very deep.
Knock in Face:
After the oil has been applied (if needed), the knocking in process can begin. This should be done using a Hardwood bat mallet. This provides much better performance than a ball mallet and also speeds up the process.
Start by hitting the middle of the bat just hard enough to create a small dent. Hold the bat up to the light to see if you are making a dent. Gradually compress the face of the bat around these areas so that the face of the bat is level and you cannot see the initial dents any more.
Knock in Toe:
The bottom of the bat toe (the part that is in contact with the ground) should never be hit with the mallet. Please Note We do not put Toe Guards on our cricket bats like a number of other manufacturers we have decided to move away from this process. If you get toe damage it is not covered in any warranty.
Knock in the edges:
The edges require special attention. They need to be rounded off so a hard new ball can’t damage them. The edges should be struck at 45 degrees to the face so that the mallet can compress the willow. Similar to the face of the bat make one dent on the edge then gradually even out the edge so that the whole of the surface has a smooth, rounded appearance. Knocking in the edges must be done by hand.
The back of the bat should never be touched with the mallet (or the ball).
The finished bat still needs a final hardening as the mechanical presses are unable to completely protect the bat, or get the perfect performance required from the blade.
This requires knocking in by hand with a mallet.
Whilst it is possible to prepare a bat solely by pressing, this compresses the wood too deep into the blade which dramatically reduces the performance of the bat. A bat pressed heavily will have a small middle and the ball will not travel as far as it would from a bat pressed lightly and knocked in by hand.
Heavily pressed bats do not break so some firms over press bats to keep their warranty work down. This ruins the middle of the bat and the ball will not ‘ping’ off the middle as it should.
Important to Remember:
Try to avoid wet conditions.
Try to avoid use against cheap sub standard balls.
Try not to drive Yorkers.
Knocking in is essential.
Don’t over oil the bat.
Please Note: Damage can never be totally eliminated due to the hard nature of the ball and the speed of contact with the bat. A good bat correctly knocked in ideally would last ABOUT 1000 runs including net use.
VIKING CRICKET BAT WARRANTY
All Viking cricket bats are warranted for 6 months from the date of purchase against workmanship and material.
As soon as your Viking cricket bat leaves our workshop, it is subject to the wear and tear of cricket games and practice.
Willow is by its very nature, a soft wood that, when pressed, provides the rebound qualities required to strike the ball. Wood is a natural product, which can only take so much stress and strain.
Depending on the cause, not all damage will automatically be covered by this warranty; Some common causes of serious bat damage which are not covered by the warranty
It excludes damage caused by the use of poor quality balls, mistimed shots/ yorkers, tapping and normal wear and tear. Where a bat has sustained extreme damage inflicted by the player,or use of low quality balls (very hard balls with high seams resulting in excessive point impact damage)toe damage, If there is no material flaw in the bat, repair work will be chargeable.
We see more bats coming in for repair during the winter and pre season due to indoor nets and the use of cheap cricket balls so think twice when using an expensive bat in poor conditions with poor equipment.
If we have provided the Knocking in service on a bat it doesn’t mean that’s all the knocking in a bat requires, you will need to round off the edges of your bat, you should continue to knock the bat in during the early life of the bat and continue protecting it and maintaining the bat. (details of Knocking in a bat are above).
When you purchase a bat it will come with a warranty that explains how to look after it and what to do if you have any problems. If you have lost your warranty please e-mail us and we can send you a copy.
Our email address is info@vikingcricket.co.uk
All bats returned under warranty will be assessed by us, following that assessment the bat will be either repaired, or if not viable replaced or part replaced, depending on its condition and the nature of damage.
Please note that we do not pay any inward or outward postage costs, return carriage is charged at cost, payment can be made via bank transfer when we contact you to confirm the next step with your return.
We pride ourselves on our customer service and will always try to be as fair as possible especially in grey areas.
Remember we provide you with a bat preparation guide when you purchase your bat and you’ll find lots of information on our useful info page. please read it carefully it will help.
If your still not sure then why not pop in and see us or contact us and we will help advice you as much as we can.