|  | Puma Bat Care PREPARING YOUR NEW PUMA CRICKET BAT FOR MATCH PLAY:
It is vital that all new cricket bats are 'knocked in' to correctly prepare them for use with hard cricket balls during play. The blade of the bat, edges and toe are the areas of the bat most vulnerable to stress from high impact with a cricket ball, so should be the focus of the knocking in process.
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Stage 1 Using a good quality bat oil, apply a single coat of oil to the face and back of the bat and leave to dry - it is not necessary to oil the stickered areas. Avoid using a Raw Linseed oil, as the protective face (stage 3) will not adhere well to the surface of the blade when applied. 24 hours later apply another coat of oil to the bat face and leve to dry for a further 48 hours… |
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Stage 2 The "knocking in" process should be done carefully and with patience. Using a hardwood bat mallet, give the face a final 'pressing' - which simulates the impact from a cricket ball hitting the bat during play. As the wood in the face compresses, gradually increase the force of the mallet's impact. As the area of compression on the face increases, the performance of the bat will improve.
Use the same method to round off the bat's edges, but use gentle impact at first to avoid unnecessary damage. Take extra care when rounding the edges as this is an especially vulnerable part of the bat and does require a great deal of care and attention. Do not hit the edge directly with the mallet. A gradual rounding off is required to correctly compact the wood and give the necessary strength and impact resistance.
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Stage 3 You may choose to apply an additional protective face to the front of the bat - available at any good cricket retailer. This should be positioned 3 - 5 mm above the toe guard, running up the face of the bat and finishing where the bat's stickers begin.
Always inspect the area between the toe guard and protective face carefully, as this part of the bat will be exposed to contact with the ground and will soak up moisture of not oiled sufficiently.
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Stage 4 The final stage is to use the bat gradually to prepare it for match conditions. Throw downs in the nets or short catches with an old quality cricket ball are advisable.
Never hit or use a new ball in the nets. If the seam of the ball does mark the blade, or small surface cracks become visible, it is necessary to return to stage 1 for further preparation. This stage should be performed for another further 2 hours to ensure the fibres of the wood are sufficiently compressed. Please note this is not a sign of a faulty bat but an indication the blade requires further attention at the knocking in stage. Once these steps have been aken, the bats should be ready for use in matches.
SPECIAL NOTE:
Remember: poor quality cricket balls will damage your mat.
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Oiling It is vital to fully prepare your PUMA bate before use. This will protect it from high impacts during play and build in the performance required to give the ball maximum power of the blade.
Using a soft cloth, apply three light coats of good quality Bat Oil to the face, edges and toe (if unprotected by a toe guard) leaving the bat face up between each application to allow the oil to fully soak into the wood. Also apply two light oats only to the back of the bat, avoiding the stickered areas.
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Knocking In Use a hardwood bat mallet to give to give the face and edges a final pressing (or 'knocking in') which simulates the impact of a cricket ball hitting the bat during play.
Bat edges are particularly vulnerable to damage during play, so extra care should be taken to ensure these are well prepared and rounded off before use.
As the wood in the face compresses, gradually increase the force of the mallet's impact. Use the same method to round off the bat's edges, but more gently at first to avoid unnecessary damage.
The oil applied will keep the fibres of the wood supple and allow the face to dent rather than crack. The more of the bat's face that is compressed the better the playing performance of the bat will be.
Apply two further light coats of oil during the knocking in process, which should be gone gradually over two or three weeks to fully compact the fibres. If during play, the blade begins to dent further or mark excessively, then repeat the knocking in process with the mallet until the blade is fully compacted. There is no need to re-oil.
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Maintenance Do not allow the bat, especially the toe, to get wet. If cracks do appear (and this is normal) on the face or edges of the bat, sand them out and apply oil to the sanded areas. The face, edges and toe of the bat should be kept clean and dry at all times. Lightly sand with fine sand paper twice during a season and apply a single coat of oil to protect. |
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