Buying a Bat
Where to Buy?
Most sports shops sell junior cricket equipment (stock varies according to the time of year).
As a general rule you will get more choice and better advice from independent sports shops than you will from major high street chains.
There is no substitute for handling a bat before you buy for weight, height and feel or ‘pickup’. ‘Pickup’ refers to the distribution of the weight in the bat and how this feels to each batsman.
By all means use the Internet – you will get a much greater if not bewildering choice – and you will also get the most competitive prices. However you can’t usually try before you buy so make sure you are buying the bat you want.
You can also look on eBay but watch out for high postage costs and fakes; and make sure you understand the returns policy and know exactly what you want before you buy. As a general rule, if something sounds too good to be true then it probably is – but there are bargains to be had as children do outgrow their bats.
See the shopping links on the right for retailers some of the senior players have used but by all means do your own research. Do take your time to research a cricket bat purchase thoroughly before you buy – avoid impulse buys.
Visit independent retailers for the best advice (a local sports chain advised the parents of one of our juniors to buy him a size bigger so he could grow into it – fortunately the parent in question had spoken to one of the coaching staff first)!!
