Saturday, July 2, 2011

Making Cricket Bats Requires Knowledge Of The Rules

By Tom Doerr


Cricket bats are a special piece of equipment wielded by batsmen playing this sport to strike the pitched cricket ball. A bat of this type is traditionally made out of English willow wood. The first recorded mentioning of this equipment was in 1624.

This type of bat is similar to both an American Baseball bat and a hockey stick. However, it is a straight block of willow wood that is flat on one side (the striking face) but has a ridge on it in the middle of the back that concentrates the wood to help where the ball is usually hit. The business end of the bat is connected to a handle which is cylindrical in shape. It is connected with a splice, much like how a tennis racket is made. The end opposite the handle is called the "toe" of the bat. The edges closest to the handle are called the "shoulders".

This bat is made with raw linseed oil after being made. The oil serves as a protective barrier to the wood. Willow as chosen because of how shock-resistant it is.

Another great word to describe willow is "tough". The wood resists splintering and dents. These are usually caused when the bat hits the ball. It was also chosen because despite how resistant it is to being damaged, it is also quite light. The handle is spliced onto the blade just like a tennis racket. A spring is formed by the splice that makes it perform better.

The splice used in the design of the handle was an invention made around the 1880's. A man named Charles Richardson was the inventor of this particular bat design. He was an engineer, and this invention forever places him in the history books of this game.

The design of this bat is something of a science today. However, it is a very old sport that is still enjoyed. Though they vary some, with all the rules for making them, cricket bats are all quite similar.




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