The design philosophy in the creation of the COMBAT was to design a composite material cricket bat with similar characteristics to a good quality wooden bat. The following important bat characteristics were examined and taken into account during the development of the COMBAT: Bat geometry Bat mass Bat centre of gravity Bat centre of percussion (sweet spot) Blade surface hardness Blade surface durability Blade stiffness Handle strength Toe abrasion resistance Bat shock absorption characteristics Ball restitution Ball surface damage With the above data and the geometrical constraints as described in the laws of cricket, the bat was designed with Computer Aided Design software.The COMBAT offer the following distinct advantages:No need for knocking in No oiling Greatly improved durability Repeatability in manufacture The ability to colour the bat to any required colour Not influenced by environmental conditions, such as moisture The ability to tailor the mass, centre of gravity / percussion and stiffness of the bat Reduced depletion of a scarce natural source namely English Willow Very competitive price Local production in South-Africa, hence job creation Export possibilities |