With the Canadian cricket world comparatively quiet the following article on cricket bat making by Canada Cricket On-line’s long time correspondent Eddie Norfolk may be of interest (and yes there is Canadian content…)

Trip willow, trip willow, trip willow………Growing willow for cricket bats

The words “On a tree by a river a little tom tit sang “willow, tit willow, tit willow” come in one of the solos in the Gilbert and Sullivan operetta “The Mikado”. Willow is a crucial part of the wood used in making cricket bats and in the autumn – or fall as it is know in North America – of 2006, I visited the site of J.S. Wright & Sons Ltd in Great Leighs, Essex to gain some insight into the growth and production of willow for cricket bat blades.

Somewhere in my home, there will be the specific notes from the trip around the sheds where the felled willow is stored and processed. Felled trees are cross-cut, cleaved (split from the trunk into separate pieces), sawn into a rough bat blade shape, waxed and dried and then graded before being sent to cricket bat manufacturers.

Tree growing and the production processes, most of which depend on individual workers rather than some automated process or series of processes, continue along similar lines to those adopted since the foundation of the company by Jessie Wright in 1894. However, modern machinery and transportation allows the felled trees to brought in one piece to the processing sheds and storage areas.

A brochure about processing notes “In former years the trunks were cross cut into sections and carried from the site” on the shoulders of the workers. An old photo of a line of eight people, each carrying one cross cut section is provided in the brochure, and can be seen on the company website.

A tree can is felled after reaching maturity, which occurs some 15-20 years after planting. Maturity is gauged by the circumference of a tree reaching 1.42 metres (4 ft, 8 ins, or 56 inches) when measure at a height of 1.42 metres above ground level. The cross-cuts are made every 71 cm (28 ins). So, in the old days, each of the workers carried a fair size chunk of wood back to the works.

I should mention that the tree trunks require proper attention during early growth to remove all side shoots so an initial long skinny stem can, over time, develop into a long solid trunk of fairly even size up to where the upper branches are allowed to develop. Apparently, a young tree is removed from the nursery for planting when it has at least 3.8 metres (12 ft 6 ins) of clean stem (i.e. stem with no side shoots). Side shoots are pruned twice a year for the first three years, then on an annual basis as the tree develops toward maturity.

Some aspects of the tree maturing process from a beanpole stage to a long, chunky but solid stomach bring back some memories of observing cricket on the county circuit back in the British Isles in the 1960’s, 70’s and 80’s before settling a bit to the west of those islands in the Toronto area. Early one season from close range before start of play, I did not immediately recognize one batsman who played a few times for England but did recognize him, from similar proximity, late in the season.

A combination of pre-season training and a probable absence during the winter from some of the cricketing sponsorship demands that occur during an English and Welsh county cricket season resulted in a smaller stomach. He was by no means at the beanpole stage in early season, but the visits to various sponsors tents and boxes after close of play had seen a certain expansion of the stomach area during the season.

Anyway, returning to the wood processing, the cross-cut sections of trunk are split via axe and wedges into some eight pieces, on average, which create a piece of wood known in the trade as a cleft. These clefts are then sawn into a rough bat blade shape by a craftsman who needs a sharp eye and experience to determine which side of the cleft will look best on what will become the face of a finished bat. The craftsman is known as a saywer, which provides a literary link to North America through the adventures and tales of Tom Sawyer.

The sawn clefts are waxed at each end to prevent splitting when artificially dried to a moisture level of around 16%. My notes from the visit would provide an idea of how long the clefts remain in a drying shed before the drying process is complete. For now, let us just say it takes “some time” rather than a brief couple of seconds, minutes or hours but, I believe, less time than it takes for certain fine wines to mature.

A good eye and experience is then required in the grading process. The clefts are ranked from the low end of the market for a cheap range bat (which in this day and age might not be cheap) to high grades as used by players in the test and ODI circuits. Wood clefts for some players may, I believe, even be decided based on the personal preferences of such players. The price of quality bats carrying the name of certain famous test and ODI players is certainly not cheap, even before the cost of importing finished bats.

Even importing wood clefts for use by any local Canadian bat maker can become costly due to regulations to try and ensure no nasty tree ailments or wee beasties come into the country with such wood clefts.

Wright and Sons also grew some ash trees for use in making cricket stumps. I think it was on my first venture to the Keele Reservoir grounds on Toronto’s northern borders for cricket in 2006 or 2007 that I noticed signs about the dangers of the Asian ash borer. These insects cause troubles to ash trees in parts of the Greater Toronto area, and probably in some other parts of Canada. But I did not touch the ash or the crafted stumps in the Essex countryside on that visit.

So sometime over the last five or so years, I might have got around to turning out an article about growing willow trees for making cricket bats. I should even consider a paragraph or two linking the ongoing needs of Canadian cricket for proper and sustainable sponsorship so lands such as the Keele Reservoir could have improved quality outfields and grass wickets. Sponsorship that would require proper recognition from those within Canadian cricket, which calls for certain skills, especially with respect to planning, marketing and communications.

My revival on watching cricket in recent years and some of the travelling I have done made me wonder why some of the leading West Indies cricketers of the mid-60’s through mid-to-late 80’s had died young. On reflection, the downside of some of the English county circuit activities may have taken a toll. Smoking and drinking sponsorships lead some of the way, and there might not be a lot to do on certain nights in some of the towns where county matches take place for players from either side. So a trip or two around the sponsors boxes and tents might be required to keep the sponsors happy. And some players probably pushed themselves into playing with nagging injuries that may have carried a lot of pain and drove themselves into playing for their adopted team, due to love of the game.

And what work was there for some of the stock English-born or qualified players to do during the winter? Sometimes not a lot.

Considerations which certainly arise when thinking about the opportunities, demands and rewards (short, medium and long-term) in Canadian cricket. Not to mention the “religious” side of the game in Canada, where some of the scoresheets are full of holes. Holy, or do I mean far from whole. As can be information provided at grounds for what supposedly are some of this country’s big games and tournaments.

In a recent review and purge of a collection of ethnic newspapers I had picked up during a couple of summers (2007-2009) when busy following the local cricket circuits, I read how nothing had happened in Canadian cricket since the mid-1990s Sahara Cup series until some even planned in 2008. This from someone high in the ranks of Canadian cricket.

But wasn’t the hosting of the 2001 ICC Trophy, at minimum from a logistical and Canada qualifying for the 2003 ICC Cricket World Cup in South African a success ? Or, subsequently qualifying for the 2007 .ICC Cricket World Cup? (Which seemed to get no mention in the build-up by the two communications/media companies involved in a certain Canadian Thanksgiving Weekend international tournament.)

And what about reaching a couple of ICC Intercontinental Cup finals ? Or Canada’s first women’s team’s overseas tour, which seemed to gain little, if any, coverage on the official website of Canadian cricket. But, when it comes to annual meetings, someone “in authority “will state how committed the governing body is to women’s cricket.

But there are bigger fish in modern life when a few buzz words or a magic logo or a mission statement is meant to provide all the answers. But, without detail plans and proper resources (human, financial, land/facilities, time) and commitment (I’ll steer clear of ‘accountability, for now) the magic wand approach will not work. Potential will remain potential. Potential may even decrease if the status quo is maintained. But perhaps, like the Phoenix, something might arise. A model plane builder might get a stranded airplane to rise from the desert, as in the movie “The Flight of the Phoenix”.

But, as for me, one overdue article arises from past activities with thanks to those who welcomed me to J S Wright and Sons back in autumn 2006. “There are some 185 different species of willow and only about 6 are suitable for cricket bats.” That from “the world’s largest and oldest established company supplying English cricket bat willow.” For more information see “www.cricketbatwillow.com”. Thanks again to J S Wright and Sons for welcoming me.