BAT PREPARATION KNOCKING IN & PLAYED IN SERVICES
IMPORTANT BAT CARE INFORMATION
After many years of research and development the Greg Chappell Cricket Centre has introduced professional Knocking In and Played In services. Thank you for your customer feedback and desire to have a treatment for your bat that really works and saves you time.
GETTING STARTED Every bat must be either oiled and/or have extratec applied prior to using the bat against a ball. Oiling - maintains moisture levels in bats & reduces the chances of splitting and cracking. Use a cloth to apply oil to the bat. Apply oil to the face, edges & blade avoiding the splice & labels (Only exposed timber should be oiled). Generally 3-4 initial coats should be sufficient and one coat every 8-12 weeks thereafter. Each coat should be allowed to dry into the blade in a horizontal position for around 24 hours. EXTRATEC is a clear self-adhesive protective cover for your bat, covering the entire hitting area. It is by far the best form of protection & 90% of customers enjoy the benefits of applying it to their bats. It also keeps the moisture in the bat but it’s still a very good idea to oil the exposed timber once every 12 weeks with a very light coat. The ideal preparation is to apply two light coats of oil to the face and edges of the bat & one coat to the back; do all knocking in with a mallet whilst the bat still has a natural face; then apply extratec sheet once the oil has dried. You are now ready to start hitting balls and “playing in” your bat.
Sometimes, the Knocking In procedure can take well over 10 hours of your time, but let us make it easy for you by selecting one of three bat preparation services. 1) MATCH READY SERVICE - “PLAYED IN” 2) MATCH READY SERVICE - “PLAYED IN” PLUS TOE PROTECTION 3) KNOCKED IN SERVICE - “KNOCKED IN” SERVICE
STANDARD SERVICE
JTQ SERVICE
• Hand Knocking of Toe • Hand Knocking of Edges • Boning of Edges • Automated hand held Knocking on face GCCC Match Ready Service - “Played In” Full service performed at our national workshop
• Edge Tape, Oil & Extratec applied • Anti-Slip grip modification • Service is modified specifically to suit YOUR bat
$110
$160
$160
$200
$50
$75
(13-21 Working Days)
(7-12 Working Days)
• Automated hand held knocking device. The Automated hand held knocking in device allows the bat to be hit 20 times more often than standard knocking in. • Enhanced performance & longevity of bat
GCCC Match Ready Service + Toe Protection (Recommended) GCCC Knocked In Service Performed in each store location
You can find an instructional video about “knocking in” and “playing in” your bat by scanning the QR code above.
OVERVIEW • Best Knocking In Service on the market
•T he same service as above including a fitted Toe Guard for additional longevity/protection
(13-21 Working Days)
•P ressing of Bat •H and Knocking of Toe •H and Knocking of Edges
(5-10 Working Days)
•E xtratec Applied
(7-12 Working Days)
(Maximum 5 Working Days)
Additional charges may apply for cleaning/repairing bats that have been used, pressed, poorly knocked/oiled or damaged. Jump the Queue (JTQ) is the same service as the Standard Service, but promises much faster turnaround times as advertised above.
PREPARING YOUR CRICKET BAT (DO IT YOURSELF) Knocking in is the process by which the grains & fibres in the bat are compressed & strengthened to prepare it for use. This process is vital for all English Willow bats and must be performed with patience & care. The best thing to use is either a bat mallet or ball mallet to prepare your new bat. To do this you will need to spend anywhere up to 16 hours ‘knocking in’ the bat. Pressing the bat will begin the knocking-in process and reduce the overall time needed with the mallet. There are 4 areas that need to be prepared on your bat: the face, the toe & each edge. Your main areas of focus should be the edges & the toe, but you will still need to spend some time
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(1 hour should be sufficient) on the face. Starting off softly and building up, hit straight on the face of the bat close to the edge. After a couple of hours, glance the mallet off the edges at a slight angle, but not hitting into the edge, this will slowly make your edges rounder. The rounder the edges the stronger they are, so you want to aim to get them as round as possible! The same applies for the toe, but this should be hit on the bottom 10cm on the face of the bat. Remember it’s very important to be hitting the bat quite hard with the mallet towards the end of this process to prepare the bat for match use.
Playing In commences after the mallet process is completed. Take the bat to the nets with an old leather ball. Start with throw downs & work up from there. You should be hitting the ball gently at first and harder as you progress. Inspect the bat after every shot played, if you see any dents or seam marks in the bat then it is not ready for use yet & must be pulled away from ball use immediately. It means you still need to do more work with the mallet! (You should spend at least another half hour on each area if indentations occur). Repeat the above knocking in process until you think your bat is ready for another net session. By the end of this process you
should be hitting a ball as hard as you can, facing a fast bowler without the bat showing any denting or seam marks from the ball. If this is the case, your bat is ready for match use! The overall process should take around 2 weeks & there is no limit on the amount of hours & effort you spend knocking in your bat. The more work the better! This means the bat will last longer and perform better. The GCCC doesn’t recommend that bats be knocked or played in by machine. These machines often damage the bats and put pressure on the shoulders causing cracking and damage.
