GB2282076A

GB2282076A - Cricket bats

Info

Publication number: GB2282076A
Application number: GB9419095A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Michael Edward Curtis
Original assignee: Dunlop Ltd
Current assignee: Dunlop Ltd
Priority date: 1993-09-25
Filing date: 1994-09-22
Publication date: 1995-03-29
Also published as: ZA947385B; GB9319846D0; GB9419095D0; AU7410194A

Abstract

A cricket bat comprises a wooden blade body 1 having, secured in a surface recess (rabbet) in the striking face and/or in the side edge of the blade, a surfacially exposed insert 2 of a different material, the exposed surface junction of the insert with the blade body being flush and the exposed surfaces at the junction being level. The or each insert preferably is a one-piece insert. <IMAGE>

Description

CRICKET BATS This invention relates to cricket bats.

Cricket bats conventionally are made primarily of wood, usually comprising a blade of willow owing to its light weight, toughness and resilience, and, spliced therewith, a handie of cane which often is laminated with thin elastomer interlayers.

Owing to the nature of the game of cricket, the wooden blade is prone to damage in play. Damage tends to occur especially at the edges of the blade and at the blade face area most frequently striking the cricket ball, that face area for proficient batsmen being the 'sweet spot' area of the face.

An object of the invention is the provision of cricket bats having improved endurance and/or performance properties.

According to the present invention there is provided a cricket bat comprising a wooden blade body having, secured in a surface recess (rabbet) in the striking face and/or in the side edge of the blade, a surfacially exposed insert of a different material, the exposed surface junction of the insert with the blade body being flush (even) and the exposed surfaces at the junction being level.

An insert may be selected to confer features such as improved wearresistance, crack-resistance, splinter-resistance, resilience or rigidity at the face and/or edge of the blade without detriment to the playing characteristics of the bat.

A blade side edge insert may be selected to confer damage resistance and optionally also to confer a lower resilience than that of willow in order to reduce the rebound of a ball striking the edge insert.

A blade face insert may be selected to confer damage resistance and optionally also to increase the rebound of a ball striking the face insert.

A face insert preferably is located to include the 'sweet spot' area of the blade face and preferably is located substantially equidistant from the side edges of the blade. The surfacial periphery of the face insert typically does not extend to be coincident with any part of the peripheral edge of the blade face.

The face insert may have a variety of peripheral shapes, for instance substantially elliptical, circular or polygonal.

The bat blade may have an edge insert on one or both side (lateral) edges of the blade. The side edge insert may extend along a major part of the length of the blade edge and may extend down to the bottom of the blade. In a preferred embodiment, the side edge insert extends continuously additionally around the toe edge of the blade.

When the blade has both a face insert and a side edge insert, suitably those inserts may be discrete from each other.

The insert generally is a surface insert, i e it does not penetrate completely through the blade. The average depth of the insert may be not more than about half, or not more than about one-third, of the total thickness of the blade at the position of the insert.

The insert suitably is a one-piece insert and preferably is of substantially homogeneous (uniform) consistency.

Suitable materials for the insert include plastics, elastomeric and composite materials. One preferred material is a thermoplastic material.

The material may be a fibre-reinforced plastics material, examples of fibres being those of carbon, glass or aramid. Examples of materials for the insert include nylons, thermoplastic polyester elastomers (e g 'Hytrel' material) and polyurethanes, which may or may not be fibre-reinforced.

The insert may be produced conveniently by moulding such as by compression- and/or injection-moulding or, in the case of a blade edge strip insert, by extrusion.

Suitable means of securing an insert in a recess include bonding by use of adhesive composition and/or by mechanically interlocking shape-formations on the insert and recess and/or by mechanical securing means such as screws or rivets.

Preferably the recess has a surface formation providing a mechanical interlock with a complementary formation on the insert. For example, the recess may have one or more surface grooves or splines and the insert may have one or more complementary flanges or tongues fitting therein.

Additionally or aiternatively the surface of the recess may be roughened or grooved to promote bonding to the insert.

The insert may be at least partially preformed and then secured to the recess or may be formed in situ in the recess.

For instance, a reactant composition for producing the insert material may be applied in liquid form to a recess in the blade, which may be positioned in an appropriate mould, and then caused or allowed to react to form the insert in situ.

Alternatively the insert may be applied in mouldable or partially moulded form to a recess and then the moulding is completed in the recess.

The bat or blade therefor having one or more recesses for location of one or more inserts may be assembled with or in a mould having a mould surface corresponding to the desired exposed surface shape of the insert(s), and insert-forming composition may be introduced into the mould cavity or cavities where it is caused or allowed to form the insert(s) in situ.

By way of example only, embodiments of the invention are shown in the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows a front face view of a cricket bat having inserts; and Figure 2 shows an edge section Z-Z of the bat of Figure 1.

In Figures 1 and 2 there is shown a cricket bat having a blade 1, suitably of willow, with a front face insert 2 located in a surface recess in the 'sweet spot' area of the face, and with an edge insert 3 located in a surface recess 4 extending continuously in the blade edge.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. Cricket bat comprising a wooden blade body having, secured in a surface recess in the striking face and/or in the side edge of the blade, a surfacially exposed insert of a different material, the exposed surface junction of the insert with the blade body being flush and the exposed surfaces at the junction being level.

2. Cricket bat according to Claim 1 wherein said insert is a one-piece insert.

3. Cricket bat according to Claim 1 or 2 wherein the insert comprises material selected from plastics, elastomeric and composite materials.

4. Cricket bat according to any of the preceding Claims wherein the insert comprises material selected from nylons, thermoplastic polyester elastomers and polyurethanes.

5. Cricket bat according to Claim 3 or 4 wherein the material is fibrereinforced material.

6. Cricket bat according to any of the preceding Claims wherein the insert comprises moulded material.

7. Cricket bat according to any of the preceding Claims wherein the insert and recess have complementary formations providing a mechanical interlock.

8. Cricket bat according to any of the preceding Claims wherein the insert has been formed in situ in the recess by application of insert-forming composition into the recess.

9. Cricket bat according to any of the preceding Claims wherein a said insert is located in the striking face of the blade to include the 'sweet spot' area.

10. Cricket bat according to Claim 9 wherein the insert in the striking face of the blade has a surfacial periphery which is not coincident with any part of the peripheral edge of the blade.

11. Cricket bat according to any of the preceding Claims wherein a said insert is located on both side edges of the blade.

12. Cricket bat according to Claim 11 wherein the side edge insert extends continuously additionally around the toe edge of the blade.

13. Cricket bat according to any of the preceding Claims having discrete face and side edge inserts.

14. Cricket bat substantially as described herein with reference to, and/or as shown in, the accompanying drawings.

15. Cricket bat according to Claim 1 and substantially as described herein.

16. Method of making a cricket bat according to any of the preceding Claims which comprises forming the insert in situ in the recess.

17. Method according to Claim 16 wherein a bat or blade therefor having one or more recesses for location of one or more inserts is assembled with or in a mould having a mould surface corresponding to the desired exposed surface shape of the insert(s), and insert-forming composition is introduced into the mould cavity or cavities where it is caused or allowed to form the insert(s) in situ.

18. Method of making a cricket bat of Claim 1, substantially as described herein.

19. Cricket bat made by a method according to any of Claims 16 to 18.