“It is so important cricket remains affordable”
The cost of cricket bats, and playing cricket, is an issue that comes up from time-to-time.
As with any sport, there is a wide range of cost implications – and cricket is no different with everything from beginner bats to the more elite variety that can set you back up to £1,700.
This issue was featured in a recent edition of the esteemed Wisden Cricket Monthly which shone a spotlight on the ‘special edition’ status of some bats.
In response to the Wisden column, and as the world’s largest and oldest established company supplying English cricket bat willow, we felt compelled to add our own observations to what is an important subject in our much-loved game (our letter was published by Wisden in Issue 80).
We wanted to get across the fact that many, many cricketers use a lesser grade of bats – they don’t mind what they look like as long as they ‘ping’. The £1,000-plus bats are what I would describe as the Aston Martin of cars – there are a limited number and they are pretty, but cheaper models will do the same job.
All our customers offer a vast array of bats to suit all budgets. There is no need to buy a Grade 1 ‘pretty’ bat, as we call them. Lower grades play just as well, if not better.
In our letter, we also wrote: “The English Willow price, as well as the Kashmir and Serbian Willow price, has increased over the past few years. That is unfortunate, but tell me a product that has not? The price of English Willow is driven by demand and we at J.S. Wright have planted thousands of trees over the past 50 years. Last year alone, we planted 33,000 trees. Whereas other existing long-established brands and new willow suppliers have not planted anywhere near enough for their own increases, let alone the industry. J.S. Wright does have a view on prices and we are trying not to be dragged into a price war for trees – but it is very tough out there. Luckily, we have an ever-growing list of satisfied landowners who grow under contract working with us.”
With so much exposure and popularity in all forms of cricket, including the burgeoning women’s game, it is so important cricket remains affordable to all.
Jeremy Ruggles, Director at J.S. Wright & Sons