Australian.Geographic_2014_01-02

January–February 2014 19

FOR MANY, the thwack! of a cricket bat

connecting to a ball – and a commenta-

tor’s laconic drawl – is the soundtrack to

an Aussie summer. Leather on wood has

echoed across ovals here since 1804 , when

a match was fi rst reported as a highlight of

a blistering January. R ivalry with the

mother country began hotting-up in 1861,

when England fi rst toured Down Under.

Apart from a few notable exceptions, bats

were still largely British-made until the

1940s; English willow was the only wood

considered tough enough for a bowling

season. Commonwealth sister colony,

India, chipped in with the rubber for grips

from the late 1800s, but it wasn’t until

supplies dried up during World War II

that we began making our own in earnest.

Nowadays a number of companies manu-

facture bats here, but it’s still bespoke

craftsmen, or ‘pod-shavers’, that create

century-makers for the pros.

1600s

The Cricket-staffe

In a 1611 dictionary, the

meaning of the French noun

‘crosse’ refers to: “A Crosier or Bishop’s

staffe; also, a Cricket-staffe; or, the

crooked staffe wherewit boyes play at

cricket.” The bat was a curved stick,

shaped like a modern hockey stick,

ideal for the underarm-bowling style.

1740s

Straighter shape

Cricket became more formal-

ised with the introduction of

laws, but there was no limit on bat size,

length or weight. Although bats were

becoming straighter, they were still

slightly curved for the sweeping style of

hitting suited to underarm bowling.

1770s

Maximum width of 4.25”

Bats were heavy and had

begun to develop a ‘swell’

(hump or thickest part) on the lower

back to add power to the swing. After

TOPOGR APHICAL

Bat to basics

1600s The Cricket-staffe

1740s Straighter shape

Now Modern-day bat

2000s Twenty20 bats introduced

1770s Maximum width of 4.25” (10.8cm)

1830s Length restricted to 38” (96.5cm)

1850s Cane splice-handles

1980s Australia’s aluminium bat controversy

1860s Development of shoulders

AUSTRALIAN GEOGRAPHIC thanks David

Studham at the National Sports Museum,

the National Museum of Australia and the

Bradman Museum Trust.

Thomas White of Ryegate “brought a

bat to a match, which being the width

of the stumps, effectively defended his

wicket from the bowler”, a law was

passed limiting the width to 4.25”

(10.8cm). This is still enforced today.

1830s

Length restricted to 38”

Bats were restricted to 38”

(96.5cm) in total length, which

remains the maximum allowed today.

Round-arm bowling was legalised in

the 1835 code, meaning there was

more bounce in deliveries. Bats then

became straight sided and lighter,

with a higher swell for balance.

1850s

Cane splice-handles

Cane splice-handles were

introduced from the early

1840s, replacing solid willow bats. The

splice, originally ash or willow, assisted

with shock absorption in the handle as

bowling got faster and harder.

1860s

Development of shoulders

The laws were altered to allow

overarm bowling. Bats

became lighter again, and their sloped

top developed shoulders to give more

‘face’ for higher bouncing deliveries

• and to stop high nicks off the bat.
  Handles became intricate constructions
  and were nearly all made of cane with
  Indian-rubber grips.

1980s

Australia’s aluminium

bat controversy

The Laws of Cricket were

amended to ensure that the blade of a

cricket bat was made solely of wood.

This was a direct reaction to Australian

cricketer Dennis Lillee’s use of an

aluminium bat during a test match

at the WACA ground in Perth in 1979.

2000s

Twenty20 bats introduced

The advent of the Twenty

game led to a specifi c bat.

Developed in 2004, the T20 bats have

elongated handles and shorter blades.

By 2008 the T20 bats were 33 per cent

shorter than conventional bats and had

handles that were 43 per cent longer.

Now

Modern-day bat

Modern bats must conform

to the regulatory maximum

width and length. However, they are

now thicker and heavier – weight has

been redistributed to increase the

‘sweet spot’ (where the ball should

strike), and the swell reaches up to

8.5cm in some models. Bigger sweet

spots, combined with boundary ropes

set well inside arena fences, mean more

sixes are being hit than ever before.

FROM TOP: LORD’S MUSEUM (LM); LM; LM; BRADMAN MUSEUM TRUST COLLECTION (BMTC); NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AUSTRALIA/GEORGE SERRAS/A.E. STODDART BAT, 1897; LM; BMTC; MONGOOSE CRICKET; KOOKABURRA SPORT

1830sLength restricted to 38” (96.5cm)

,

1980 A t li’ l ii bt t

1860s 1860 Development of shoulders Dl

198 0s A ustralia’ s aluminium bat controversy

T

1770s Maximum width of 4