OILING
Use raw linseed oil or special bat oil.

Apply a small amount of oil (about size of a 50p/inch in diameter) to the face of the bat and then work it in to the rest of the blade, edges, toe and back. But do not oil the splice area as this may soften the glue.

Keep the bat horizontal on its back for 24 hours. This will allow the oil to soak in. When it is dry remove any oil that hasn’t soaked in – use fine sandpaper or scrape lightly with a sharp blade.

Repeat the process, but do not oil the back again. The bat is then ready for knocking-in.

Do not over-oil. More bats are spoilt by over-oiling than by under-oiling. Over-oiling adds weight to the bat, deadens it and can even cause wood rot. Over-oiled bats take longer to be repaired, as they have to be dried out first.

Non-oil, coated or uncovered bats should not be oiled.

KNOCKING-IN
This is best done with a purpose-made bat mallet – either ball-on-handle or smooth wooden mallet.

The aim of knocking-in is to continue a process which began at the bat factory when the blade was pressed between heavy steel rollers; namely to compress the soft willow so that it better stands up to the impact of the smaller, harder ball.

There are no rules to how long you should knock-in your bat. Like walnut trees ”the more you beat’em the better they bees”. However, make sure you give the edges including the toe edge a good going over.

Then play the bat in gently in the nets. Bat defensively, concentrate on getting the ball in the middle of the bat, do not ‘reach’ for the ball outside the off stump and don’t swing hard across the line.

IF I DO ALL THIS, CAN I GUARANTEE THAT MY BAT WILL NOT BREAK?

No, certainly not. It could break with the first ball it receives in a match. However, you will greatly reduced the chances of this happening.

Always remember that a bat is made of wood. And the better the bat the softer the wood (Salix coerulea). It is quite a natural product. All man does is select it, shape it, compress it and oil it. Then he goes and uses it to hit a far harder object!

BAT REAPAIRS
Cracks on the blade are usually unimportant and do not spoil a bat’s playing qualities. Indeed a good, well-used bat will often have a mass of surface cracks on its face.

If any of these cracks are lifting, put a strip of bat tape round the bat to hold them down.

However, if you break the handle you’ll need to get it repaired professionally.

If you get a serious crack that goes from front to back (usually at the toe, but sometimes at the shoulder) you may need a re-blade or a new bat.

WHAT DAMAGES A BAT?
Here are the most common causes of damage.

i. Hitting Yorker’s on the bottom edge, or repeated ‘edging’. Bats are designed for the ball to be played in the middle of the blade 6” to 8” from the bottom. All players miss-time their shots from time to time (some more regularly than others!).
There is no disgrace in this, but it must be accepted that a miss-timed shot can damage the bat.

ii. Over-oiling.

iii. Miss-use or careless treatment off the pitch. (It is not unknown for a player to throw his bat down on the changing room floor in disgust at an umpire’s decision. It is also known for a player to tread on somebody’s bat in its bag bat pocket on an untidy dressing room floor. Both these instances can be bad for a bat – particularly the handle).

iv. Using cheap, overhard cricket balls, which are often referred to as “bat breakers”.

v. Failure to knock in and play in a new bat.

vi. Dampness. Always remove mud from the toe of a bat after batting on a wet pitch. Otherwise the water in the mud enters the bat and causes the blade to swell or lift at the toe.

vii. Continuing to play with a damaged bat. Always carry out minor repairs immediately. Always carry bat tape in your bag.