How we grade clefts at JS Wright & Sons
For the last 130 years, we have proudly, methodically and personally graded our blades to the highest level.
Our customers trust our grading process, from blades suited to the smallest children’s bats to those used by professional cricket players all over the world.
During a recent trip to India to visit retail shops selling cricket bats made from our clefts, I was asked about our grading process and what it actually means.
Everyone gets the same grading
We grade every cleft twice. Once when it is freshly sawn and then again when it comes out of the kilns.
After the kiln drying, the grading is carried out by myself and Daniel, one of my employees who has been trained by me.
No matter how large or small our customers are, there is no difference in the quality they receive in any particular grade – everyone gets exactly the same grading. It is what they do with the clefts that makes them different and why customers choose a particular brand for their finished bat.
Cosmetic faults in willow make no difference
There are many faults in willow and they are mostly appearance-only faults.
These faults have no detrimental effect on the finished bats and will not affect the way they play, it is purely cosmetic.
Differences such as wide grain and narrow grain are not faults. As you are dealing with a natural product, there is going to be more wide grain as the climate changes.
The trees have a longer growing season with milder winters and wetter springs and summers, so the trees grow faster.
Also, differences in weight are nothing to do with the wood being a worse quality. It is just that some trees are denser than others, which makes them heavier.
They are all dried the same, but some bats might not be as lightweight as others. It’s just nature at the end of the day.
Different grains for some of the best
Sachin Tendulkar recently toured a factory in Kashmir where he publicly stated that his best bat only had five grains.
I also know for a fact that one of the current top Indian players likes no more than six grains in his bat.
J.S. Wright & Sons
Everything we do is designed to preserve the English Cricket Bat Willow industry and ensure willow cricket bats continue to be used.
That’s why we’re trusted by landowners across the UK and leading cricket bat manufacturers throughout the world.