MASTER CRAFT: Zac Nichols of Glenroy is handcrafting cricket bats after learning his skills from WillowBlue willow grower Ian Callen. Pictures: JAMES WILTSHIRE
Patience is a must when hand-crafting a cricket bat.
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Made from English willow, otherwise known as salix alba, a cricket bat made today can already be 15 to 20 years old due to the age of the willow tree the cleft is cut from.
The cleft is naturally air dried in the hand-crafting process.
It is then categorised by grade of wood with grade one being the best available.
The age of each bat can be identified by counting the number of grains that run down the blade.
The higher the number of grains, the longer the willow has matured for.
Modern technology and techniques have changed the dynamic of cricket bat weight.
Most will have a “pick-up” lighter than the specified weight of the blade.
THE PROCESS: A range of Zac's completed and in progress bats at his home in Glenroy, where he manually creates each one.
WILLOW WONDER: Zac Nichols plays for the Lavington Panthers cricket club and is running his own cricket bat making business, Titanium cricket.
FINAL PRODUCT: Zac looks down the edge of one of his completed Titanium cricket bats in anticipation of being able to use it in a match this season.
