Product Review: Williamson Boucher Classic Custom Bat

Having written before about the Williamson Boucher Classic Bundle, how much I liked the look of the brand, and what I great idea I thought the bundle concept was, I was delighted when Williamson Boucher sent me a bundle to review and to support my NHS project as I return to the pitch aged 57 and after a 33 year break from the game.

I am going to review each item separately as I have covered the bundle elsewhere.

At Willamson Boucher Cricket we endeavour to create the perfect personal cricket bat made to your own specification. Thus allowing batters to perform to the best of their ability. Each bat is hand crafted from the finest selection of English Willow to the shape, weight and grade of your choice.

Personal and very friendly company.

Williamson Boucher Classic Custom Bat

My Review

Fair to say that Williamson Boucher is not as well known a brand as either Gray-Nicolls or Masuri so direct comparisons are unfair, but at the same time inevitable!

£100 less than the Masuri TON T Line and £50 more than the Gray-Nicolls Prestige this is without doubt a quality bat, and without wishing to offend in my view the less known brand of Williamson Boucher means that if you were doing a comparison then it would be with the Masuri rather than the Gray-Nicolls.

I love the brand (goes without saying by now) and you will only need to look at, and then pick up one of these bats to appreciate the quality.

The ability to customise the bat though is what sets this apart from the majority of bats you will probably consider: you select the Bat Size, Grade, Weight, Handle, Strike Zone, Toe View Front, Toe Bottom, Blade Face, Extended Spline, Number of Grips and Scuff Sheet.

This one is: SH, Grade 1, 2lb 10oz, Oval Handle, Mid to Low Strike Zone, Rounded Toe Front, Chamfered Angle Toe, Flat Sightly Bowed Blade Face, Regular Spline, 1 Grip and a Scuff Sheet.

Am not a huge fan personally of Scuff Sheets but in the circumstances it was a prudent addition, and 2lb 10oz is a little heavier than the Masuri I use, but the same weight as the Gray-Nicolls. I love the chamfered toe which will protect the bat if you are a hole digger (which at 6ft 4ins I most certainly am not), but sort of gives you a hint as to the right angle to be presenting the bat at.

I have no idea how they make the bats pick up so lightly but they do, and off the middle you will hear that pro level ‘crack’ when you middle one, which seems to happen more frequently with the way this bat is set up.

Be prepared for things to take a little longer though as this bat will attract comment and requests to hold it as it most certainly stands out from the crowd which is quite an achievement for something so understated – I have even had a wicket keeper comment on the sound the bat makes when you middle one!

No question £350 is a lot to spend on a bat and you will have to spend that much as you are unlikely to find one on eBay, which I suspects says a lot for how content owners are, but if you are in the market for a custom pro level bat then this is an excellent option, more affordable than most, with the flexibility of being customisable. My theory, for what it is worth, is that you should spend as much as you can on your bat as it will certainly help. As age, and technique, catch up with us it is tempting to look at the cheaper end of the market, but if you want to reach the boundary and have the ability still to run a 2 then the better the quality of the bat the better your chances. Put bluntly we get to a stage where we need all the help we can get!

Certainly a premium price but you will get a premium product that will not disappoint and you will be supporting a local English business run by people that love, and play, cricket, and no surprise that the bat is understated, not at all flashy and lets its quality do they talking as they are based in Yorkshire!

Manufactures Product Description

Williamson Boucher bats are carefully hand crafted from the absolute finest selection of English Willow by excellent craftsmen.

The custom range offers players the knowledge that they have chosen the perfect bat for their style of play.

MRP: £349.99

About The Review

Reviews will always identify whether the product has been bought for my own use, gifted for my own use, or sent for review. I will keep items I have bought or been gifted. Items sent for review once reviewed will be donated to Penkridge Cricket Club, MERIT PRU or the YMCA North Staffordshire as appropriate.

Reviews will always be my personal, unbiased, opinion based on my experience of the product and my own abilities. The reality is that most of the time I will not warrant the quality of product being reviewed, but what can I say, I like “stuff” especially “good quality stuff” so that is all there is to say on the matter!!

Reviews will include the list price and where applicable the price paid, a link to the source of the product and the manufacturer and where available manufacturer published product information. If a manufacturer or seller has asked me to publish a special discount or offer I will make this clear.

If you have a question or opinion please leave it in the comments below and I will reply.

We will write a Featured Review for a donation of £25 to our cat re-homing project (ALStrays), but this will be CLEARLY categorised as a Featured Post.