The integrity crisis: defending genuine English cricket bat willow
Our commitment is simple: to secure the long-term, sustainable future of the English Cricket Bat Willow industry. We are not anti-competition, but we are absolutely anti-deception.
We believe every grower, manufacturer, and player deserves transparency. While willow sourced from outside the UK has a place in the market, particularly for lower-grade bats, we are aware it is often being passed off as premium English timber, which compromises the integrity of the entire industry and erodes trust. Here is what growers and cleft purchasers need to know to ensure they are getting genuine English Cricket Bat Willow.
The clefts: the requirement for proof
For those purchasing willow clefts, we urge you to be discerning. While there are a handful of reputable cleft suppliers doing things correctly in England, there are also those selling undocumented timber. The crucial evidence is traceability, which starts with the Felling Licence. Any legitimate English willow supplier will operate under Felling Licences granted by the UK Forestry Commission. These are not merely permissions to cut down a tree; they are a legally binding contract of future stewardship. Our standard Cricket Bat Willow (CBW) licenses require two key obligations:
Replanting: The land must be replanted with English Cricket Bat Willow (or another specified alternative) to a required density, typically 100 plants per hectare.
Maintenance: For a period of 10 years from planting, the young trees must be protected against damage, adequately weeded, and losses replaced.
The terms are serious. Failure to satisfy these conditions may lead to an Enforcement Notice, prosecution, and an unlimited fine under the Forestry Act 1967. This legal commitment to sustainability separates genuine suppliers from those importing undocumented timber.
Let’s do some number crunching
An average mature willow tree produces around 40 clefts. To supply, say, 1,000 clefts, a supplier must have felled approximately 25 trees. If a supplier cannot show you the corresponding number of licenses for the volume of clefts they claim to produce, it is highly likely some of the willow is imported and being mixed in. If a supplier cannot show you the corresponding trail of documented licenses for the volume of clefts they claim to produce, it is highly likely some of the willow is imported and being mixed in. This imported timber is often Serbian willow, yet how many bats do you see publicly marked as “Serbian Willow” or “European Willow”? None. It is being sold as English. Customers advise that while visually similar, Serbian timber is brittle and the bats will not last as long.
The young trees: the importance of a nursery
The integrity issue starts with the young trees, or “sets,” that are being planted. To legally supply young English Cricket Bat Willow trees, a supplier must have access to a dedicated nursery bed. These take a minimum of three years to set up and provide the certified stock required for replanting. While you don’t have to replant the same variety of tree, no other variety of timber offers as much value in such a short time.
Legal responsibility: Anyone without an established nursery bed will not be able to supply certified English willow trees to replace the ones they have felled. Crucially, the landowner (not the company buying the mature tree) is legally responsible for replanting one tree for every one cut down.
The investment difference: We believe suppliers should be planting least 3 trees for every one felled, to ensure continuity, meet future demand, and account for number of young trees will naturally die over time. Suppliers without a nursery are not making this commitment.
Defending the purity of the product
English Cricket Bat Willow is simply the best wood to make cricket bats from, having consistently outperformed every other timber tested. It is classed as a hardwood but possesses unique softwood properties: it’s pleasing to the eye, lightweight, and takes compression very well, which is what allows a bat to hit the leather cricket ball so far. We have trialled willow from the USA, Canada, and Romania. While Serbian willow has a fair and reasonable place in the market for lower grades and juniors, the issue remains the unscrupulous practice of importing it into the UK and then re-exporting it as premium English timber.
Our commitment is to the sound of leather on willow
This is not a campaign driven by mere tradition; it’s a defence of quality, transparency, and the simple truth that the UK’s climate and soil consistently produces the best English Cricket Bat Willow. By requesting proof of origin and replanting schemes, growers and manufacturers can help us preserve the sound of leather on willow and maintain the trust that defines our industry.