	Cricket Bats
	Batting Gloves
	Batting Legguards
	Clothing
	Footwear
	Protection
	Wicket Keeping
	Cricket Bags
	Helmets
	Eyewear

Salix Bat Care

This Salix bat has been crafted from the highest grades of English willow, by exceptionally skilled bat makers. The raw materials are natural products and this bat needs to be carefully and thoroughly knocked in. The price reflects the quality of materials and skill of production, it does not mean that the bat will withstand abuse or neglect.
The following notes are guidelines for the care and maintenance of your bat, but must be used in conjunction with advice from your retailer and most of all, common sense.

Knocking-In

1. Apply a light coat of raw linseed oil to the face and edges of the bat.
2. Strike the playing areas (face and edges) with an old good quality cricket ball, allowing pressure to build gradually. Wooden bat mallets should only be used with extreme care. Do not knock in the back of the bat.
3. After a couple of hours spent with the ball directly striking the face, progress onto catching or out-field practice.
4. A second, light coat of oil should be applied after a couple of days, whilst the knocking-in should continue for a sensible period.
5. Before any serious net sessions or going to the 'middle', we recommend the application of good quality anti-scuff or BAT VAX (once the oil has thoroughly soaked in and dried).

Maintenance

Once you have started to use your bat, proper care and attention will enhance its performance and durability.
1. DO NOT allow your bat to dry out, light oiling is necessary periodically. Fine grade sand paper can be used to gently sand the face clean before oiling.
2. AVOID using your bat in wet conditions, contact with moisture will cause the blade, and especially the toe, to swell.
3. If minor CRACKS appear then they can be repaired by applying a small amount of superglue into the cleaned cracks and clamping the affected area.
4. STORE your bat in dry conditions, but avoid artificial heat and prolonged exposure to direct sunlight.
5. Avoid excessive TAPPING when at the crease or taking guard (regardless of the surface). Continual stress upon one point of the bat will cause the fibres to separate and split, thus producing cracks in the toe.
6. Do not OVEROIL - this will deaden the bat's performance.
7. If a YORKER is trapped between the bat and wicket, then check that the bat has not been damaged. Damage is likely when the ball is caught between the ground and bat because the pressure is literally trapped and can only escape into the bat itself. If cracks or splits occur then please consult your retailer.
8. REMOVE the anti-scuff at the end of the season to lightly sand and oil the bat before it is stored for the Winter.

Workshop Prepared

We have prepared the bat for use, but the blade still needs to be knocked in with an old ball through sensible practice. Bat mallets should only be used on the face of the bat with care. After the first season's use, please carefully remove the facing (from left to right across the grain of the bat) then gently sand the face ready for a light coat of linseed oil. A new sheet of anti scruff should be applied once the oil is completely dry ready for next season's use.
Should a Salix bat need to be returned, please note the following:
1. The bat will be evaluated by an experienced bat maker, to determine whether it has been knocked in properly, maintained and stored in the correct manner. Damage from poor quality, excessively hard cricket balls cannot be the responsibility of the bat manufacturer.
2. We will not carry out repair work unless we are satisfied that the bat has been prepared and maintained in the manner described above. Charges for repair work and decisions on action are entirely at the manufacturer's discretion.
This is a high quality hand made bat, please treat it as such.
For SALIX customer service begins with quality. We are and always have been committed to producing bats which are exquisitely hand made and look and perform like no other. We do not believe in two tiered brands - the bats on the shelves of our stockists are the same quality as those of professional cricket.

We have worked very hard to produce this bat which has been individually handmade in our workshops from the willow selection through to final polishing and labelling. Every bat is checked, signed and numbered before it leaves Salix. We are confident of its quality, durability and performance and ask you, the buyer to complement this dedication with your own care. If you follow the instructions overleaf, in conjunction with advice from your retailer then you will enjoy many innings with a bat which will only get better with age. Occasionally, problems occur which are endemic to using natural raw materials against poor quality balls, in adverse conditions, or due to sheer bad luck. In the case of any damage or concerns then we would ask you to take the bat back into the shop from which you bought it or return it to us. We will then assess the bat and report back to you or the shop promptly with our action and advice. Clearly bats which have not been looked after, or which have suffered abuse (willow does reveal its treatment) will incur charges. Repairs within the first year are generally free of charge.

Quite simply, we hope that the bat inspires you and your game as we have been inspired in its manufacture.

Home

Info

Order Catalog