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Fearnley Bat Care

Duncan Fearnley has been making bats for almost 50 years and we are proud of our quality and performance. Each bat is meticulously handcrafted to help give you the performance you need.

Important

In order for you to get the maximum performance out of your bat follow these simply instruction before use otherwise you may jeopardise your warranty.

Ready-Play Bats

If you have purchased a ready-play bat your bat will be knocked-in, fitted with a Fearnley Toe Guard and either waxed or pro-faced. You can use this bat immediately. However, we do recommend that knocking-in is continued, which will further improve the bat's performance & resilience.

Knocking In

Cricket bats are a 'complex tool of trade' and to get the best results you need to knock in a cricket bat whatever finish you buy. This helps prevent damage when hitting a fast moving cricket ball. Patiently knocking-in the bat with an old ball in a sock, ball mallet or rounded wooden mallet on the face, edges and toe of the blade.
Pay particular emphases to the edges and toe as these are the most vulnerable areas having the least surface area when striking the ball in use, but do not strike the edges and toe full on, strike them as you would hit them with the ball on the front edges only. Striking the edges and toe full on will result in damage.
We recommend that a minimum of 10 working hours over a 2 week period before use including light nets with old balls, before use with a new ball. It should also be stressed you cannot over knock in a cricket bat so the more you do it the better the performance and the more resilient your bat will become.
Finally as bats are made from a natural material everyone is different in characteristics meaning some will need more, and some less knocking in to get the best results.

Supreme Finish

A Supreme finish is a waxed polish finish or a natural blade. This finish needs oiling with Linseed Oil. Apply 2 to 3 light coats with the palm of your hand or a rag to the face, edges and toe areas of the cricket bat never going above the splice area of the blade. This would result in the weakening of the handle. The back of the blade only needs one initial coat avoiding the splice. All this should be done over a period of 2 weeks leaving it horizontal in-between coats. It must be noted that you should never stand a bat in oil and over oiling will damage the performance of your cricket bat.

Pro-face/Fibre-face Finish

The Pro-face/Fibre-face finish has a specialised tape over the blade making it a sealed unit. It is designed to stretch both ways to help protect the edges and face of the blade. It should not be removed and only needs oiling in the exposed toe area as per the Supreme finish to help prevent dampness getting into the toe.

Toe Guards

All Fearnley English willow bats are fitted with a rubber toe guard. The toe guard will help your bat from water penetration and potential damage that can occur around the toe area. In time the toe guard will deteroriate through natural wear & tear and at such times as the toe guard is peeling away for wearing through exposing the toe of the blade then it is time to replace it.
In the event you want to remove the toe guard simply heat the toe area with a domestic hair dryer or small fan heater to re-activate the adhesive and the toe guard will come away from the toe of the bat. Lightly sand any adhesive left on the toe and either re-apply a new toe guard or leave natural and apply some oil.

Helpful Hints to Preserve The Life of Your Cricket Bat

Do not use cheap hard cricket balls, as it will only result in unwanted damage. Be sure to use best quality leather cricket balls at all times.

Constant edging will result in damage to your bat. The more you do it the more damage you are likely to occur. Bats are designed to be hit in the 6 to 9 inches from the toe in the centre.

Forcing 'Yorkers' out will eventually result in the toe splitting beyond use. Try to block 'Yorkers' to prevent serious damage especially on hard artificial or indoor surfaces.
Do not misuse your bat in any way, e.g. knocking stumps in with the blade, hitting net posts, etc.

Do not constantly tap the bat in the crease in wet conditions otherwise the toe will swell and may cause splitting if dried too quickly. Use a Fearnley Toe Guard or Linseed Oil to prevent water penetration.

Do Not Over Oil A Bat, As It Will Effect The Bat's Performance.

Do not continue to use your bat if damaged as you could aggravate the damage to an unplayable state that could have been simply repaired if it had been inspected in the first instance. We are only at the end of a phone so if you are unsure give us a call or your local stockist. A simple repair can rectify most cases and play can be continued as soon as it is returned giving complete satisfaction.

We strongly recommend you apply one of our Fearnley Toe Guards before use. This will help protect your toe from the above problems and help preserve your Cricket bat's life

Bat Problems:

Handles

Broken Handles occur either through natural wear & tear or a fault with the cane. The handle is a huge stress point when playing a stroke and naturally over time will deteriorate. Normal signs of problems are that the bats looses its power/drive. There are common problems: either the handle has fractured resulting in a replacement handle; or the rubber spring inserts have become loose which results in a handle re-fix

Blade Split in 2 Horizontally

This is normally due to bats being made from storm damaged willow, whereby the young trees sway considerably in bad storms causing fibre fractures within the heart of the wood that is undetectable during manufacture. Sometimes the blade will split completely in 2 when first used or after some use. This is a natural undetectable occurrence that could happen to any bat and the bat is normally replaced free of charge if in warranty

Blade Surface Cracks

Through general wear & tear the face of the blade will naturally deteriorate. Remember you use a new ball every game, but use the same bat. The blade is a natural substance and like any natural piece of wood will damage after constant hitting of a hard leather ball at speeds in excess of 100mph at the point of contact. Ensure to monitor the surfacing cracking and once it starts to become loose and starts making a slightly different sound when hitting the ball, return it for repair. You can generally aid the life by using specialised repair tapes, but this will only superficially repair the damage. We recommend you have your bat serviced once a year as you would your car.

Edge Damage

Unfortunately all damage to the edge is down to a bad shot and all bats are designed to be hit in the centre of the blade where maximum performance is achieved. Like anything if an edge is hit where there is least surface areas it is only a matter of time until damage is occurred. Obviously the more you mis-time your shots the more damage you are going to get. If the cracking starts to get deep and or starts to dislodge any of the edge return the bat immediately for inspection. The longer you play with a damaged bat the shorter the life of your bat.

Toe Damage

Toe damage usually occurs whilst striking Yorker type deliveries or hitting the crease constantly on artificial surfaces. Striking through Yorkers can split the toe end of the bat, so be careful and try and block Yorkers, especially indoors when the surfaces are harder. Splits in the toe cannot really be attributed to a fault in the wood, so please be carefully. If you do start to get a split in the toe return it immediately so the area can be treated before it splits right through beyond use.

Moisture Damage

Do not leave you bat out in damp conditions for any long period of time as your blade will act as a sponge and soak any moisture into the blade and cause it to swell.
In damp playing conditions do not tap the toe of the bat on the crease, especially on artificial carpets as the toe will swell. Simply tap the bat in the address position on your foot.

If you do get moisture damage do not force dry the swollen area as the damp area will split causing even further damage to your bat. If the moisture is in the toe area rest the toe on a surface and lightly mallet some of the moisture out and thereafter lightly sand the area. If this does not work you will need to return the bat for repair.

If the moisture damage is in the face we suggest you return the bat as you may damage the playing face sanding any damage out yourself.

Natural drying is also likely to cause the blade to split, but not to the same extent as force drying.

Shoulder Cracks

Shoulder cracks occur near the handle/blade joint (splice) and happen through natural wear & tear. Usually once a blade starts to crack in this region the bat is unrepairable and the crack will continue to lengthen until unusable. It is then time to purchase a new bat.