Willow – Making the Grade
One of the most frequent questions we are asked is around the grading of willow & what to expect. Believe it or this is quite a complex topic as there is no industry standard & there can be some confusion between the manufacturers grading & the MCC Laws of cricket grading. Although there is no hard & fast rule there is some guidance which we hope will give you some further clarity.
Seeing the wood for the trees
Grading is important, as this affects the cost of a bat, & begins with the producers of raw materials, one of biggest being J.S. Wright & Sons Ltd. Like most grading system the pure or cleaner the cleft is the higher the grade will be.
When grading the key factors considered will be mainly aesthetic looking for blemishes such as butterfly marks, pin knots or staining which occur naturally during growth. They also consider the natural weight of the cleft. The lighter a cleft is the better it is as pros & players alike want bigger bats that weigh less.
Grade 1
Grade 1 blades are the cleanest, no blemishes on the face with a minimum of 6 straight, evenly spaced grains with some heartwood on one edge. This is exceptionally rare.
Grade 2
Grade 2 are remarkably like grade 1 with a large quantity of heartwood & minor blemishes on the face but mainly outside of the hitting area. This would be considered moderately rare.
Grade 3
Grade 3 is the widest produce& offers exceptional value for money. These clefts willow half up to 50% heartwood, minimum of 5 grains on the face & grains will be wavy with blemishes on the face.
Grade 4
Grade 4 will have more that 50% coverage of heartwood or a notable butterfly stain with other blemishes present & a minimum of 4 grains. Quite common& is used in the lower range of cricket bats.
Is Perception reality?
Once the cleft reached a manufacturer, they have the final say on price based on how their own grading system however only one manufacturer, Gunn & Moore, hold themselves to a specific standard (see below). One key point about the GM grading system is that they split up Grade-1 on the J.S Wright scale in to 4 separate grades. This may seem confusing but is caused because of extremely high demand for the best grade willow, as used in their LE bats, compared to an exceptionally low supply to the market. This includes their sponsored professionals!
Even though Gunn & Moore hold themselves to this standard, it is important to note that this is a fairly good guide when looking at other manufacturers. Just remember that a better grade of willow will not necessarily outperform a lesser grade of willow.
English willow bats in nine qualities:
ORIGINAL L.E., ORIGINAL, SIGNATURE L.E., 909, 808, 707, 606, 404 & RADON.
Each quality is developed around different grades of willow.
GM GRADING - INDUSTRY LEADING
- The very best unbleached seasoned Grade 1 English Willow
- Selected for grain structure and weight
- Limited by willow availability
- Bats individually tested to ensure 5 Star performance
- Fitted with top quality treble spring multi-piece cane handle for outstanding feel, flex and control.
- GM NOW. & ToeTekTM finish fitted as standard (see p4 for details)
- Superior unbleached seasoned Grade 1 English Willow
- Predominantly, straight grained with a hint of colour and minor cosmetic blemishes
- Fitted with top quality treble spring multi-piece cane handle for outstanding feel, flex and control
- GM NOW & ToeTek. finish fitted as standard (see p4 for details)
- Prime unbleached seasoned Grade 1 English Willow
- Predominantly, straight grained with colour on one edge and minor cosmetic blemishes
- Fitted with top quality treble spring multi-piece cane handle for outstanding feel, flex and control
- GM NOW & ToeTek. finish fitted as standard (see p4 for details)
- Unbleached seasoned Grade 1 English Willow
- Predominantly, straight grained with colour on one edge and minor cosmetic blemishes
- Fitted with top quality treble spring multi-piece cane handle for outstanding feel, flex and control
- GM NOW & ToeTek. finish fitted as standard (see p4 for details)
- Superior unbleached seasoned Grade 2 English Willow
- Minor blemishes, may have some colour to one edge
- Fitted with good quality treble spring multi-piece cane handle for outstanding feel, flex and control
- GM NOW! & ToeTekTM finish fitted as standard (see p6 for details)
- Seasoned unbleached Grade 2 English Willow
- Minor blemishes, may have some colour to one edge
- Fitted with good quality treble spring cane handle
- GM NOW! & TToeTekTM finish fitted as standard !see p4 for details)
- Superior seasoned unbleached Grade 3 English Willow
- Minor blemishes, may have some colour to one edge
- Fitted with good quality treble spring cane handle
- GM NOW! & ToeTekTM finish fitted as standard !see p4 for details)
- Seasoned bleached Grade 3 English Willow
- Knot marks with some stain/speck
- Fitted with treble spring cane handle
- GM NOW! & TToeTekTM finish fitted as standard !see p4 for details)
- Seasoned Grade 4 English Willow
- Grained GM polycarbonate DuraCover
- ToeTeleTM toe guard fitted as standard (see page 4 for details)
