Our Process
From Sapling to Seasoned Cleft
At Wombat Willow, we oversee every stage of the journey, ensuring the highest quality English willow from sapling to seasoned cleft.
Our unique "tree to bat" approach is a testament to our dedication, ensuring that landowners cultivate a healthy, sustainable crop, and bat makers receive the finest, most durable wood. We're committed to meticulous care and unwavering dedication, setting the standard for excellence in the industry.
Seed to Bat
We offer a comprehensive "seed to bat" service, managing the entire lifecycle of English willow. This unique, end-to-end approach guarantees quality and consistency, allowing us to control every aspect of the process. From selecting the finest saplings to the final crafting of the bat, we ensure that every piece of willow meets our rigorous standards.
Planting, Growing and Maintenance
Our planting and growing service provides landowners with expert guidance on cultivating premium English willow. We offer support from initial planting to ongoing management, ensuring a healthy and sustainable crop. We understand the specific needs of willow cultivation, offering tailored advice on soil conditions, climate, and long-term care. We supply our growers with high quality ‘sets’, ensuring high quality growth.
Harvesting and Felling
Our harvesting and grading service guarantees that only the finest willow is selected for cricket bat production. We employ rigorous grading standards, assessing each cleft for quality, straightness of grain, and overall suitability. This meticulous process ensures that bat makers receive the best possible materials for their craft.
Production and Grading
After harvesting, each willow trunk is carefully processed at our state-of-the-art Devon facility, where it’s crosscut, split into billets, and expertly sawn into the rough shape of a bat blade. The billets are then sealed with wax to prevent splitting, naturally air dried and kiln finished for ideal moisture and weight. Every cleft is meticulously graded for grain, structure, and consistency—ensuring only the finest willow makes it through to bat production, so bat makers receive premium-quality materials for their craft
Supply and Crafting Cricket Bats
Our skilled craftsmen employ traditional techniques to handcraft bespoke cricket bats from the finest English willow. Each bat is painstakingly shaped and balanced, reflecting our commitment to quality and performance. We honour the legacy of bat making, while incorporating modern innovations to meet the demands of contemporary cricket.
Why British Willow?
English willow is renowned as the world's premiere wood for cricket bats. Its unique properties, including strength, flexibility, and its lightweight nature, are perfectly suited for crafting high-performance bats. The English climate, with its balanced rainfall and temperate conditions, provides ideal growing conditions, resulting in willow of exceptional quality. Wombat Willow champions the use of English willow, supporting local growers and ensuring the enduring legacy of this exceptional material. We are proud to be ‘Grown in Britain’.