The 12 Bats of Christmas - Black Cat Joker

Founded in 2009 Black Cat Cricket have set out with one goal.To make the highest quality cricket bats in the world.To do this they have done something that not many others can which is own their own willow plantation. This enables the wonderfully oversized clefts which can go into bats such as the Black Cat Joker.

In an age of short format big shot games Black Cat have reacted by playing their Joker in making a shortened, uniquely shaped blade and a longer, thicker handle to ensure the perfect pick-up. Their own specially UK grown willow is shaped using all the traditional methods to get a bat that may look like a railway sleeper but only weighs from 2-8 to 3-0.

The trick is that shortened blade, effectively the same size as a harrow, which enables all the wood to be concentrated into the middle so it can boast an enormous spine height and huge 45mm edges. With the handle made longer and thicker this puts all the power where you need it and they say it will transform your 4’s into 6’s.

It was enough for Wisden to name the Joker as the most ‘innovative bat’ for 2011 and if you want first hand experience here is the review from Cricinfo’s UK editor Andrew Miller

Still not enough for you? There’s an Extreme version which has an enormous +60mm spine height and starts at 2-12.

Mind the windows Tino...