The 12 Bats of Christmas - Woodstock Airstream

Multi award winning brand Woodstock have come a long way in just 5 years. The handcrafted beautifully detailed range can be seen at many a ground across the country and John Newsome’s hard work has been rewarded in a brand that is instantly recognisable. Having worked at Newbury he knows what makes a good bat and has transformed that knowledge and experience into a labour of love with every Woodstock bat meticulously detailed.

For our 12 Bats of Christmas feature we have chosen the flagship model from Woodstock, the Airstream. This bat was the 2014 winner in All Out Cricket’s gear review and was created with input from Woodstock’s contracted professionals. It has the modern look with a high spine & big edges and is beautifully contoured to create an extended middle with the weight just below centre giving it a good all round performance.

It has performed well across the All Out Cricket Bat tests coming 2nd for 2 years and winning in 2014 with judge Paul Nixon saying “As soon as I saw the bat I knew. I’d like to take this home with me now and start playing with it!”

Inspired by the name, the Airstream’s shape allows it to flow through the air and hit the ball strong and long! The Woodstock branding is amongst my favourite with a real heritage feel backed up with shiny chrome & blue decals to add a touch of class to your kitbag.

The 12 Bats of Christmas - Salix Pod

Reading through Master Bat Maker Andrew Kember’s resume you’ll see he had already made bats for the great & good of the cricket world before setting up Salix 25 years ago.

Since creating his own brand Andrew has been involved in several bat making firsts but it is the classic craft and quality of hand making his bats which keeps Salix held in such high regard. Each bat now features the Salix Batmaking Benchmark to ensure the bat has been handmade throughout the entire process.

Andrew will personally select his own willow enabling only the best clefts to be obtained in the top 3 grades including their ‘finite’ grade. Most Bat makers will tell you the pressing of the bat is what can turn a good bat into a great one and at Salix each bat will be put through several pressing techniques at various stages of its journey in the workshop to create the perfect finished article.

For our feature we have chosen the best selling Pod bat which has evolved from its initial launch in 2007 to now feature a flatter-face and deep bow with a long driving area and modern thick edges. The back of the bat is then concave sanded to reduce the weight without compromising the wood in the hitting area which results in a lightweight pickup with a superb rebound. The face of the bat is slightly rounded and the handle is semi oval with a choice of short or long handle or even a long blade option.

With its mid sweet spot the Pod is an ideal weapon for batters to destroy the bowling on either the front or back foot and will reward the beautifully executed cuts, drives and pulls. The attention to detail doesn’t stop there with stylish in-house designed minimalist labelling to allow the wood to do the talking, a gold spiral bound grip and fitted toe guard.

What’s more the Salix Pod comes beautifully sealed in Salix’s own bat wax.