Frequently Asked Questions

HOW DO I PREPARE A BLACK CAT BAT FOR USE?

All Black Cat bats are oiled and knocked-in by hand before sending to the customer.  This service is included in the price of the cricket bat, and removes the need for the customer to spend hours doing so himself.

However, the bat will still benefit from some further preparation.  It is recommended to spend a few hours gently striking an old, good quality cricket ball.  The intensity should be built up over time, to the point where you are striking the ball as you would in a match.

HOW LONG DOES A CRICKET BAT LAST?

As a rough guide a bat lasts about 1000 runs, including practice. This means for some players, a bat will last for three or four seasons, for others, just the one.

When making the bat, the batmaker presses the cleft in order to prepare the bat for use against a hard cricket ball.  There is a fine line between over-pressing (losing performance) and under-pressing a cricket bat (losing durability).  Black Cat bats are pressed to perfection, ensuring unrivalled performance, with the durability our customers expect.

A bat's life can be prolonged by good preparation and care during the bat's use.  Having said this, all bats are different, meaning seemingly identical bats, prepared and cared for in the same way, can end up lasting for different lengths of time.

IS IT POSSIBLE TO VISIT THE BLACK CAT WORKSHOP? 

Regrettably, it is not possible for customers to visit the Black Cat workshop.

FROM WHERE CAN BLACK CAT CRICKET BATS BE PURCHASED? 

This website is the only place where a Black Cat cricket bat can be purchased: we do not sell our cricket bats through retailers.  As such, there is no place to try out our bats before ordering.  If you are unsure which model/weight to order, please contact us - our batmaker will happily recommend the most appropriate bat.

DOES BLACK CAT OFFER SPONSORSHIP?

Black Cat of London does not sponsor individual cricketers.

Unfortunately, due to the number of such enquiries we receive, we cannot guarantee a response to sponsorship requests.