Good service and the pads were in use from day 1 - with a victory for the team!
WHY ENGLISH WILLOW
What are Chase Cricket bats made of?
Chase Cricket bats are handcrafted from the finest English Willow Salix Caerulea. Our willow is sourced from J.S Wrights, who have
plantations throughout the south of England. They provide us with outstanding English Willow and have been established within the industry since 1894.
Why do you use English Willow?
English Willow Salix Caerulea is uniquely suited to cricket
bat manufacture, it is lightweight and aesthetically pleasing. English Willow is categorised as a hardwood species; however, it has softwood properties, with a “diffuse porous” cell structure. It has great impact resistance; density and the woods natural attributes make is conducive for both striking power and durability. English willow is by nature a soft fibrous reed. Performance and
durability are enhanced by drying and pressing. In normal usage, willow will become bruised, scarred, or dented simply due to the nature of the game (impact with the ball). The performance of the bat will not be affected. Such marking can occur at any time during the lifespan of the bat.
Do you use Kashmir willow?
No. Kashmir willow is by nature much harder than English
willow. Therefore, bats made of this type of willow will not have a comparable level of performance with English willow bats.
Are there different grades of English willow?
We have six different Grades of cricket bat, ranging from
Grade 1 premium English willow to Grade 4. The main difference between the grades is the performance, grain structure, balance, pick up as well as blemishes and imperfections.
GROWING / FELLING
How long does it take the Willow tree to grow?
England has the right soil and climate for English willow
trees to flourish. The willow trees grow within 12 to 20 years and are ready to be harvested when they have 58 inches circumference at a height of 4 feet 8 inches from the ground.
Why fell the tree at this point? Wouldn’t it be best to let
them grow?
Leaving them to get larger means they are more susceptible
to wind damage, which in turn can weaken the willow and thus impact the quality and the cricket bats longevity.
ENVIRONMENT / SUSTAINABILITY
What impact does this have on the environment?
For every one tree felled JS Wrights plants 4 in its place.
As a company they pride themselves on planting more trees than they fell. JS Wrights aim to annually plant three times as many trees as they cut down. This is more than the minimum one-for-one the Forestry Commission requires.
Does Chase Cricket have a planting programme?
We grow our own English willow trees at various locations
throughout Hampshire. We recently had some trees felled on the farm where we are situated. The willow has been taken to be cut and dried before it returns to us. Could you be one of the lucky ones to have a Chase cricket bat direct from our very own farm. Watch this space for more information on these limited-edition cricket bats.
Is Chase Crickets planting programmes sustainable?
Yes. For every tree we fell, we will be planting a minimum of 3 in its place.