An 18-year old student from Derby University has designed a new cricket bat which has the potential to give all those without it a run for their money.

"I've come up with this design which improves the comfort for the batsman and aids technique," says Will Corker, an engineering student.

Creator and creation

The bat has a new style of handle: thinner on the top, wider at the bottom and oval in shape.

This makes it easier for the batsman to grip and eases the strain on the lower hand, allowing the batsman a greater chance of hitting the ball further.

Derbyshire county players have already been putting the bat to the test. England bowler Dominic Cork, Adrian Rollins and senior coach John Brown are among those who have given their signed approval.

Rollins: keen to use the new bat

Derbyshire's opening bat Adrian Rollins says the bat's comfort is also in its convenience.

"What most professionals do is manipulate the handle to suit their grips, but with this bat you can just put a rubber grip on the handle and you're away," he says.

But before any players in the English cricket team rush out to get one, it might be a while before the new bats reach official pitches around the country.

Developed with the help of Gunn & Moore and Slazenger, Corker is still on the look-out for willing manufacturers for his design.

And that might not be the end of it. Andrew Walpole of the English Cricket Board says that although new innovations in cricket bats are welcomed, "it would have to be seen that they conform thoroughly to the rules and regulations before they could ever be used in the official game."

The rule book states that a cricket bat must not be more than 38 inches long, four and a half inches wide and be made of wood.

Ten historic batting moments

Brian Lara scored the highest-ever test score, knocking 375 against England in 1994.

The fastest century was made by Windies batting legend Viv Richards in just 56 balls.

The fastest century timewise was made by J.M Gregory of Australia in 70 minutes in 1921 against RSA Johannesburg.

The fastest ever 50 was made in 30 balls by India's Kapil Dev against Pakistan in 1983.

Australian batting maestro Donald Bradman is the highest-scoring batsman of all time, amassing nearly 7,000 runs in his entire career.

Sir Gary Sobers and former Indian captain, Ravi Shastri, are the only players to have hit six sixes off one over.

Pakistan's Wasim Akram has hit the most sixes in a test, smashing 12 sixes out of his total of 257 not out against Zimbabwe in 1996.

Martin Crowe, the former New Zealand batsman, was the first player to score centuries against seven test-playing teams.

Sir Gary Sobers hit the highest maiden century, scoring 365 not out against Pakistan in 1957.

The highest average in a test series belongs to W. R Hammond, who clocked up an average of 563 runs during the England v New Zealand series of 1932-33.
 

Back to top | BBC News Home | BBC Homepage	©