Let’s be honest, bats are what get everybody excited. Even if you’re a jobbing seamer with a career average of four in front of the stumps, there is something about a new stick that gets you going. Judging by the bats we received this time around, 2009 is going to be a stellar year in the willow department, as there are some real beauties on offer no matter what your budget. Below is what we made of the sticks which will put the least strain on your wallet.

READERS VIRAGO BAT
RRP £100

It’s only a ton! Just one hundred pounds for a perfectly serviceable unpretentious bat that will suit any number of developing cricketers. It doesn’t carry much meat, but the middle does the trick. Almost cool in its unfussy uncoolness. Excellent value.




HUNTS COUNTY METTLE BAT
RRP £115

For 115 quid you can’t go far wrong with this one. Hunts County bats have never been stylish – they’re the Volvos of the bat world – but they’re reliable, and always good value. This bat had a solid middle, but felt a little dead around the edges.

BELLINGHAM & SMITH FIREFLIGHT
RRP £125

*STRONG SHOWING*

We were astonished when we realised how cheap it was. This has a really sweet pick-up, a nice bow and a forgiving middle. The South African colours were a problem for some of our testers, butgenerally at 125 big ones this was a steal.

CICADA BAT
RRP £130

*STRONG SHOWING*

Silly stickers and a puzzling logo, but this is a bat with a lot going for it, especially for 130 notes. One of the cheapest bats on offer, it has a thin toothpick handle that was in dire need of an extra grip or two, but apart from that, this is a beautifully bowed bat with a good low middle, perfect for my front foot game.

COLTS CRICKET SHARE BAT
RRP £150

It could do with a touch more wood, but this was a pleasingly effective strokemaker’s bat. Our resident ethereal poetic southpaw thought it was lovely; others felt it was a touch light, but this would work excellently for a teenager looking for his first adult bat, one that won’t break the bank or the biceps.

JMS ATTITUDE BAT
RRP £150

It’s only £150, and a meaty middle was satisfyingly in evidence, but this bat looked like a goth’s bedroom. Make your own mind up, but we just couldn’t get on with the stickering.


KOOKABURRA THE BIGGEST KAHUNA BAT
RRP £150

The Big Kahuna won best bat in our 2008 test, and they’ve gone even bigger this time round. It picks up a touch too heavy for some and feels like a trunk, but that’s the idea. Still excellently priced, this is a man’s bat. Shame about the slab of red colour over the front though…




OPTIMAX XG BAT
RRP £150

One of the lesser known brands, this utilitarian bat does a decent job – all agreed the middle was very effective – but it feels a touch bland in the hands, and it could have been better balanced.

READERS BICENTENNIAL BAT
RRP £150

Those crazy kids at Readers have produced a whole line of bats that look flimsy and feel weak but actually do a good job for the price they’re asking. The wood is very hard and unforgiving, but that suggests they are built to last. These are throwback bats – Peter May would have approved of its absence of meat and delighted in its focus on that delicate sweet spot.

WILLOSTIX BOOMSLANG BAT
RRP £150

*BEST CREDIT CRUNCH BAT*

Pound for pound, this bat, at £150, just had to make it into the top five. It’s a touch heavy – our less well-endowed testers struggled with the thick handle and the chunky toe – but others felt this was the most exciting of the mid-range bats. Looking down the back of the bat (if you ignore the garish stickering) it looks superb: strong and imposing. This would be a great bat for a number six in the order, for the big lad who ‘likes to get on with it’.

WILLOSTIX RED BOA BAT
RRP £150

Top value. Not especially meaty, this is a cultured bat, ideal for those who prefer to keep the ball on the carpet. It has a springy feel in your stance, and there’s a lot happening when you connect somewhere around the middle. Great for back foot shots.

HELL4LEATHER 666 BAT
RRP £160

A decent option for the price, it has an agreeable low middle that follows the modern trend for drive-friendly bats, it doesn’t look especially sexy, and the branding feels a little camp, but it does a good job.

KOOKABURRA ANGRY BEAST BAT
RRP £160

You expect quality with Kookaburra, and for 160 notes this is excellent value. Probably the best bat overall in the Kookaburra range. As befits its subtle, grown-up livery, this bat will suit the mature strokemaker. Why call it an angry beast though? This is more a smouldering organism…

RAM RAMBOW BAT
RRP £160

Good price for a decent product by a company that began by supplying to schools before branching out into the individual market. They also offer an excellent deal of two bats for £230, so if you are looking for a couple of sturdy, unflashy blades for your school or club’s kit bag, you could do much worse than look at Ram.

BELLINGHAM & SMITH FIREBLADE BAT
RRP £165

Its pick-up let it down a bit, and there seemed a touch too much unnecessary wood up on the neck of the bat. It was solid if slightly clunky on the drive. Of B&S’s overall excellent range of goods, this particular blade felt the least convincing.


KOOKABURRA BLADE STRIKE BAT
RRP £165

This picks up smoothly considering the amount of meat on the back. Thin edges, you’ll find the real wood along the back of the bat. Let down by a corrugated rubbery grip that seems to slip in the hands, but if you don’t like that you can always replace it. A very versatile bat that suited all testers.


FUSION RED BAT
RRP £175

A middling bat for a middling price. There is a good product line trying to creep out from underneath Fusion’s gimmicky branding – this bat is tidy, beautifully weighted and with a decent sweet spot – but, call us superficial, the styling holds it back.

HAWK X-BOW BAT
RRP £175

Considering this was the first time we’d picked up a Hawk bat, we all agreed that the pick-up on this blade was as good as anything on offer, and whilst the edges were thin and the back a touch sparse, the pinging middle was in keeping with its surprisingly sophisticated finish. A good new product and, at less than 200 nicker, very good value.

KIPPAX FIREBLADE BAT
RRP £178

Not at all sold on the stickering, but this bat will do you proud if you’re coming in needing to mow a few quick runs. All reassuring mass and enormous edges, it’s a bit like your first car: you need a bit of extra time to get it moving, but you love it to death when it does. Feels like you’re dropping a tree trunk on each delivery.