James Laver’s Extended Profile Blade, Refined for the Longer Game
The New Zealand bat maker introduces an extended profile in a longer blade, calibrated to 2.8 specifications. Each bat emerges from Laver's Hawkes Bay workshop as a singular instrument, shaped by three decades of hand craftsmanship.
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James Laver, who has personally crafted over 30,000 bats in his lifetime, holds the extended profile blade like a craftsman examining his own thought made tangible. The pale English willow glows beneath his hands in the light of the Napier workshop, its grain visible and true. This is the work of a man who learned his craft at Millichamp & Hall in Somerset before moving to New Zealand in 1998 to set up Laver & Wood in 1999.
The new extended profile comes in a longer blade, dimensioned to 2.8 specifications for the batsman who demands both reach and control. Every bat that leaves the workshop carries the weight of Laver’s philosophy: guided by old world techniques and modern refinements, each bat is handcrafted to suit individual players. The bats are fully customised, hand crafted English Willow cricket bats for customers all over the world.
Jayasuriya scored a double ton in a 1998 England Sri Lanka match with a bat crafted by Laver, and the craftsman has since worked with players across social leagues, county cricket and the international game. What distinguishes each commission is not mass production but patience: every bat is individually balanced, pressed, and finished for maximum performance.
The workshop is located at 703 Meeanee Quay, Westshore, Napier, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand, and welcomes visits; factory tours can be arranged upon booking.
Imagery courtesy of Laver & Wood (@laverandwood).