Laver and Wood: made-to-measure cricket bats in English willow

Two cricket enthusiasts built Laver and Wood around a simple conviction: that a bat should be engineered for the player’s body and technique, not the other way round. The company makes bespoke cricket bats in English willow to order, beginning not with a catalogue but with a questionnaire. Height, weight, grip preference, stroke style, the conditions you play in: the maker responds with the exact specifications your physiology and method require, then hand-crafts a bat to those dimensions and ships it anywhere cricket is played.

The commitment is to English willow, the wood cricketers have relied on for generations because its grain structure, lightness and flexibility make it superior for impact and longevity. A player fills in the sizing form online, receives a quote and specifications by email, confirms the order, and a finished bat arrives typically within several weeks. The questionnaire reframes buying as consultation: you do not adapt to what is in stock, you receive what your measurements and playing style actually require.

Hand crafting each bat individually allows the maker to read the grain of the timber itself, selecting where to place the weight, shaping the edge profile and handle construction to suit the specifications requested. No two pieces of willow are identical; the skill lies in making each one serve the player rather than forcing the player to accommodate the wood. The maker accounts for individual variation—strength, technique, preference—as normal and desirable, responding to the grain of the particular timber in hand rather than forcing it to a standard pattern.

The service model is direct: questionnaire, quote, confirmation, and a made-to-order bat ready to play. There is no browsing inventory, no compromise between the dimensions you need and what happens to be in stock. For a serious player, the certainty of a bat matched to your own body and style is worth the wait for a piece made specifically for you. Find the sizing form and place an order through the Laver and Wood website.

The service model is direct: fill in the sizing form online, receive your specifications and cost by email, confirm, and a made-to-order bat arrives ready to play. There is no browsing inventory, no compromise between the dimensions you need and what happens to be in stock. For a serious player, the certainty of a bat matched to your own measurements is worth the wait for a piece made specifically for you.

Laver and Wood was founded by two cricket enthusiasts committed to reviving the craft of English bat making at a time when mass production had become the industry standard. The company operates from England, where the tradition of willow selection and hand craftsmanship has deep roots in cricket heritage. Each bat is made to order rather than manufactured in batches, allowing the maker to respond to the specific requirements of individual players across all levels of the game, from club cricketers to those playing at higher standards.

The sizing questionnaire captures playing style as well as physical dimensions: grip preference, stroke tendency, and the conditions in which the bat will be used all inform the specifications. Once confirmed, the bat is constructed by hand, with the maker selecting willow that matches the weight and balance profile requested, shaping the blade, edge and toe, and fitting the handle with appropriate binding and grip. The entire process, from questionnaire to finished bat ready to ship, typically takes several weeks, during which the maker works with the grain of the individual piece of timber rather than against it.

Players commission bats from Laver and Wood through the company’s website, where the sizing form is the entry point to the service. The quoted price covers the full cost of materials, labour and delivery worldwide. Once a bat is ordered, the maker begins work, and communication continues throughout the process, ensuring the finished piece meets the player’s expectations before it ships. For cricketers serious about their equipment, the certainty of a bat engineered to their measurements and playing style represents a return to the principle that the tool should serve the craftsman, not the reverse.

Imagery courtesy of Laver and Wood (@laverandwood).