"The next stage of our project is to take the better material properties and make a thinner bat which, although would be the same weight as a willow, it hopefully should have better properties." What is the MCC's response? But that was based off a 2016, classically-shaped bat.
"We made a prototype bat and it was 40 per cent heavier than a willow. "One of the main disadvantages is that it's very heavy," Tinkler-Davies said. "So you've got this strange kind of double benefit: the middle is really good and strong, but the outside less so, so you're less likely to get out." Any disadvantages? So, if you completely mistime a shot and it comes off the edge, it's not going to go as far and, therefore, you're less likely to get caught. "And another odd advantage is that, around the edges of the bat it actually performs less good than willow. "If you mistime a shot with a bamboo bat, you're much more likely to hit the middle of the bat - which will mean it goes further and faster. "What we've found is, that although the bamboo is denser, heavier than a willow bat, it outperforms it across every other metric: it's stiffer, harder and better under bending.īen Tinkler-Davies practices with a bamboo bat prototype Tinkler-Davies added: "The things you're looking out for in a cricket bat are: 'high stiffness' so that when a player hits the ball, you're going to transfer the most energy for the ball to go the furthest and you want it to be quite lightweight. "We believe it's going to be much more eco-friendly as a material and also as a manufacturing process." How does a bamboo bat perform? "We've got bamboo growing in India and China, right next to where it's being manufactured, so we'd cut out 50 per cent of the emissions just through the transport of the cricket bats. So you've got this process where the willow is grown in England, shipped to India, manufactured and then shipped all the way back.
"The other thing you've got to consider although willow is grown in the UK, a lot of cricket bats are manufactured in India. Designed to enhance the position of the hands by placing them ahead of the ball, which is essential for good stroke play.Ben Tinkler-Davies was part of the University of Cambridge research study into bamboo cricket bats The curve of the bat from the tip of the handle to the end of the toe. The modern game revolves around the thickness of the blade:ġ) Flat Face - levelling out the striking area allows more mass to be retained in the back of the bat, maximising the power profile.Ģ) Rounded Face – favoured by more traditional players, the slightly rounded face gives a familiar look but yields a less expanded profile. Scallops also maximise edge profile which reduces rotation of the blade in off-centre hits, minimising power loss. In the quest to maximise profile, using scallops either side of the spine allow the apex to be extended without dramatically increasing weight. Look for a bat with a larger sweet spot, allows the middle of the bat to be spread further across the blade meaning that off-centre strikes perform better. The position in the blade where performance is maximised. The spine of the bat operates in unison with the ‘Big Edge’ profile of the bat – creating a huge apex, with unrivalled amounts of power throughout the length of the blade and exceptional ‘pick up’. Massive ‘Big Edge’ profile which increases from the shoulders and maximises at the sweet spot, generating supreme balance with an extended sweet spot that covers the entire width of the blade.