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So you've purchased your cricket bat. You have knocked it in. But what should you do to ensure that this cricket bat that you've spent a lot money and time on would last a long time? In this article, I would like to discuss further cricket bat care to guarantee a healthy cricket gear life.

First let's discuss pre-knocked bats. Most manufacturers now make bats that come pre-knocked. But should Cricket Stores Near Me you still practice running in or knocking in the pre-knocked stick? We think you should. Of course, a pre-knocked bat will not need nearly as much knocking-in as a regular bat. Here are a few tips to preparing your pre-knocked bat; start by a light practice with the pre-knocked bat using old cricket balls, fifteen to twenty minutes of knocking in with a bat mallet on the edge of the bat, this should extend the life of your bat, and finally pre-knocked bats still need oiled with linseed oil.

Once you've prepared your cricket stick there are some things that should always and never be done to make sure the bat lasts awhile. To begin, extremely hot weather can be detrimental to all cricket gear. Be careful not to use cheap cricket balls with your higher quality cricket bats. Always store your bat in a cool, dry place, away from moisture. Do not over-oil your bat. And if it happens to get wet, always dry immediately. Also, one should always keep the bat in as close to its original condition as possible. If it is used often, keep it well-oiled, about every three weeks.

Another common practice in cricket is the facing of your cricket bat. Facing is described as a thin, polyurethane sheet placed on the sides, edges and the face. Facing is always under discussion as some find it essential to the life of your bat and others feel it can be harmful to your bat. Some manufacturers feel it protects those areas and other think it affects ping and weight of the bat. The good news is that the material used to face today is much thinner and lighter than it used to be.

In conclusion, it is imperative that one cares correctly for their cricket bat and follows the essential instructions, this will ensure that the cricket bat leads a long life. Cricket can be an expensive game if one is constantly replacing their essential cricket gear.

Talking to Vic Clarke, born in Freshwater around 1916, I got some idea of the path of cricket in the West Wight, and how we have arrived at the current club, West Island C.C. Vic was an avid player of all sports especially cricket and football. When at School he was not only the captain but also in charge of selecting the team, and went on to captain the Island representative side. In the winters he would play football, and he ended up being paid to play for Cowes football club. Due to work commitments and having a job on the mainland he went on to play cricket for Cowes, before leaving the Island. Before the war, he remembers cricket games taking place at Totland Recreation ground on a grass wicket. One of his memories was that whilst they had stopped for tea one afternoon, the players glanced out across the wicket and could see a mound of earth rising from the ground below. A mole in action. From minutes taken in 1948, of a West Wight Cricket Club meeting, there is reference to an inquiry into the cost of having the moles removed from Totland Recreation ground. They were obviously a major problem before and after the war.

Although Vic can't remember the name of the cricket club through those years, I have been lent a book containing the minutes from West Wight Cricket Club. Formed in 1948 they unfortunately finished in 1957. The minutes begin "That the Freshwater & Totland C.C be reformed under the name West Wight Cricket Club". SO before 1948 there was a Freshwater and Totland Club, that existed, but we are not sure if that was the original club that went back to before the war or quite when it was formed or indeed when it ceased to function.