The Worlds Elite Bat Maker - meet James Laver

Laver & Wood set out to produce the finest cricket bats in the world. We use traditional hand crafting techniques that allow us to get the best out of every cleft of willow, and by customising bats to individual specifications.

James has personally made over 30 thousand cricket bats in his career and is well versed in the needs of all levels of cricketers, from club to international players. Striving for perfection when making your bat is central to James philosophy and success.

James grades their willow very carefully, going through at least four gradings before finally determining what type of bat the cleft will produce. This careful grading process and the attention that comes from hand making bats means we believe we are unrivalled in getting the best performance out of each cleft that comes into our workshop.

As cricket bat making becomes more and more mass machine produced the craft of bat making is being lost. We believe using traditional methods makes the best bats because it allows for each cleft to be treated on its own merits.

Since Laver & Wood was founded we have worked towards providing information about bats and bat making to our customers. We believe that cricketers who understand their requirements for a bat, and get a bat customised will score more runs. Making the right bat for a batsman’s game is something we pride ourselves on.