Here we are. The best of the best. We reveal the best sticks that money can buy.
GRAY-NICOLLS XIPHOS BAT
RRP £260
Uncomplicated and chunky, rather like Hayden (the man it was made for), this bat has a flat face, forests of wood on the back, and the special aura of a Gray-Nics product. Which is to say that it’s not flash, or gimmicky, or experimental; just good. The stickering on the back was the major bugbear among our testers.
MILLICHAMP & HALL SOLUTION BAT
RRP £260
Just class. The oval handle put some of us off, and it didn’t quite have the wow factor of its triumphant cousin the Harlequin, but this is still M&H, which means the pick-up is great, the middle is assured, and the grain straighter than the creases in Burt Reynolds’ strides.
NEWBERY B-52 BAT
RRP £260
Boom! A freak. Boom! An absolute freak that changes the rules forever. It’s quite simply the fattest, chunkiest piece of wood we’ve seen since Boogie Nights. None of the testers boast bulging biceps and broad shoulders, so this bat could not be for us. But for all you gym bunny beefcakes out there, this log is a dream. 3lb and the rest, it needs to be seen to be believed. Boom, we say! Boom!
GUNN AND MOORE HERO BAT
RRP £270
*STRONG SHOWING*
There’s a really nice pick-up to this bat – heavy enough to know you’ll be swinging with some gusto but light enough to renege on that gym membership. The ball flew off this blade without effort – power steering for bats! An absolute beauty.
MILLICHAMP & HALL HARLEQUIN BAT
RRP £270
*AOC’S BEST BAT OF 2009*
Those magicians in the old Somerset workshop have crafted another exquisite wand in the form of the Harlequin. All handmade from raw clefts of English willow, the famed M&H production line of quality bats has never felt so vibrant. As a company they are most definitely back, fresher and better even than the golden days of the early Nineties when the (now reissued) M&H Original was the bat to be seen with. This particular work of art is shaped traditionally, with unimposing edges, a gentle bow and a relatively high middle; it will suit the strokeplayer rather more than the hitter. The stickering, as you would expect, is classy and understated, and naturally it picks up like a dream. If Wordsworth were alive today and into his cricket, this would be the bat for him. It’s like batting with a slab of rural England.
SALIX DAEMON BAT
RRP £270
During testing, one of our panel crunched a drive straight into the feeder’s bottom lip, so this beautifully balanced blade has a reputation in our office. Everyone loved it – like Bradbury and M&H, Salix is one of those mid-range brands that brings the purist to tears. One of our number dared to dismiss the livery as looking like a tin of varnish – forgive his churlishness.
SLAZENGER I-BLADE BAT
RRP £270
*STRONG SHOWING*
Boom Boom! If Basil Brush played cricket, then this is the bat he would use. The secret to its brilliance is a middle to die for. The sweet spot is a touch high, perhaps, for opening on early season wickets, but this is the perfect all-round bat to have in the hand once the shine has come off the ball – with a breadth of blade that borders on the obscene you will feel invincible. Lifts like a feather, allowing for easy back foot play, but it’s the hitting straight and hard that you’ll most enjoy with this beaut.
FUSION SPORTS LIMITED EDITION YELLOW BAT
RRP £275
It looks a bit garish with its flashy yellow colouring – you wouldn’t think this was a top-range bat just by look alone – but it feels well balanced in the hands, and it was very forgiving when a batter didn’t quite find the middle. A very good bat for £200 quid; average at best at the price it’s going for.
ADIDAS PELLARA BAT
RRP £280
We have a feeling this one is going to be huge. KP-endorsed, it’s got a long handle that invites the driver on to the front foot. It picks up beautifully, light and breezy, and it is not overburdened by too much wood. Adidas may be new to this game, but they are serious, and so is this piece of equipment. On English club pitches, where the ball never seems to reach you, this bat will prove enormously popular.
NEWBERY GT 335 BAT
RRP £319.99
They say you get what you pay for and, in this case, they’re right. One of the most expensive sticks on our list, the GT 355 justifies its weighty price tag by combining a dreamy pick-up, a broadness of blade that instantly inspires confidence and a great ping from a middle that made us want to drive through night.
BRADBURY PLAYERS BAT
RRP £325
It’s not cheap, but that’s because it’s Bradbury. The sophistos of the cricket market, they make classical bats carved from the finest English willow which are always in hot demand by pros (don’t be fooled by the stickering you see), and club cricketers alike. This bat did everything you expected of it, and everyone knew they were handling a classy product.
GRAY-NICOLLS NITRO BAT
RRP £325
It’s a lot of money, but this bat is worth every penny. It’s chunky but with an even backlift; it’s light but sturdy, solid on the drive and flexible and fluent on back foot shots. It looks like a Gray-Nics bat, and it goes like one too. This is a beauty, the best of Gray-Nics’ new range of characteristically reliable blades.
ADIDAS INCURZA BAT
RRP £330
It certainly pings, as you’d expect for 330 notes, but it didn’t feel quite right in most testers’ hands. The middle was very low, which suited the front foot players, but not so much for the opening batsman who tested it. It looked great – Adidas have brought a great eye to their product range – but this bat, unlike the exciting Pellara, felt like a work in progress.
GUNN & MOORE ICON BAT
RRP £345
*STRONG SHOWING*
Oh, this is good. It picks up so effortlessly that some may even feel it’s a bit insubstantial, but when you connect with the juicy half volley this blade is as smooth and complete as any on the market. We shouldn’t expect anything less, of course, but GM are not traditionally known for their refined bats – and this is a wand.
NEWBERY C6+ BAT
RRP £350
Only three stars because of the price, this is a guaranteed beauty for anyone with the dosh to afford it. It has the Newbery hallmarks of smooth grain, a slight bow and exquisite pick-up. One swivel pull shot played by one of our testers, he assures us he will never forget. They just don’t do bad bats.
What do you think? Let us know your thoughts…
10 Comments
the bradbury bat is a work of genius, i played with one for the first time last season and loved it straight away. awesome to look at and a gun of a middle, expensive yes but as your mum will tell you,”buy cheap and buy twice”. a beautiful bat, enough said.
I have a custom made millichamp and hall, the shape is halfway inbetween the solution and harlequin. absolute gun, best bat ive ever had, would recommend it to anybody
I did consider not leaving a comment but the ridiculously poor attempts at humour left me with little option. Ive been playing for over 20 years and i struggling to remember reading such rubbish, concentrate on providing an in depth view on the products and I’m sure we would all benefit.
I’m always a bit sceptical when reading reviews in such magazines as I’m pretty sure the comments are not always independent as after all the bigger brands do pay for there advertising in this type of publication.
I’m pretty confident this wont appear in the comments slot but i thought id pass on my honest comments.
Rich
Elementary my dear Watson
watto – i take your point on the big boys and their advertising money, but looking through the whole review there are a good few smaller companies done good here.
mind you, in my opinion a bat is like a beautiful woman. you can only fall in love with it once you pick it up and throw it around a bit.
richard, why not ask the magazine if you can help them in their testing, clearly you’re an expert and you will no doubt be able to offer something additional to the testing. go on put you money where your mouth is! to comment on ken dodd dads dogs dead, agree totally, i’ve recently been throwing a new girlfriend about for a few weeks and she’s a keeper for sure!!!
Re: kendoddsdadsdogsdead
I tried to put linseed oli on my girlfriend last night but she was having none of it, still, managed to convince her that 2 grips on the handle are better than 1.
Is this the same Watson guy who sells his own amusingly titled ‘gash’ or ‘throbber’ bats via MHCC cricket? And took over Iwan Direct for a couple of months disasterously? Easy to critisize fella – why not start your own mag and review every bat under the sun if you feel so strongly about it?
Richy seems abit tite dnt he, thanks for the reviews guys, very useful cheers.
u know young children might be reading this guys!!!