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.