Over the past 2 weeks, we've been inundated with rotten, abandoned and even sometimes charred pieces of wood that only very occasionally pass off a cricket bats. The reason? Our latest cricket competition in association with Barrington Sports.
The response to our "Tweet us your cricket bat" competition has been outstanding. Below we've compiled the entries that led to a shriek at the department of cricket bat welfare, but raised a smile in Pitchero office.
1. Asif Rasheed
One of the most popular categories of entry was the "split completely in two" type of cricket bat. Asif's entry was actually our very first, and he certainly presented one of the most compelling arguments for a brand new bat.
@Pitchero a pretty unfortunate pre-season! pic.twitter.com/bR6Y5NzK1A
— Asif Rasheed (@AJR2210) April 12, 2016
2. Greg Eden
Yes Greg, that really does count as knackered. So much so that we used it for our title image.
@pitchero Does this count as knackered? pic.twitter.com/oJgPHSdwHC
— Greg Eden (@gregeden) April 19, 2016
3. Andy Ebdale
Some great work from Andy here, who perfectly encapsulated the dire situation of his bat - in the form of penning a miserable face onto it.
@Pitchero my old, tatty and rotten bad. #HelpMe pic.twitter.com/zGj4Q78MCw
— Andy Ebdale (@ebdale4) April 16, 2016
4. Ally Sim
When we said we'd seen some charred bats, we weren't joking.
Ally Sim made sire of that by performing a ceremonial burning of his bat. Early season form been that bad?
Won’t be using this bat again @pitchero #competition pic.twitter.com/xBtihnfkxg
— Ally Sim (@Alasdair_Sim) April 15, 2016
5. Andy Sloper
Another popular category of entry came from the "look what happened in my first net session" type of cricket bat. One example is Andy, who looked like he broke two bats during his first net.
@Pitchero The result of first netting practice for The Merch this season!! Your "old bat" comp may be just in time!! pic.twitter.com/qAigCLW3Ha
— Andy Sloper (@007statto) April 15, 2016
6. EsseGee
A little from left-field, EsseGee's entry gets into our countdown purely from the quality of that forward defence. We reckon that's all you need to impress your new team mates.
@Pitchero Fingers crossed I win as I have just joined a new team and I would like to make a good impression! pic.twitter.com/5fn816oNXG
— EsseGee (@EsseGee) April 12, 2016
7. Heather Claydon
One straight from my childhood next. You'll find all sorts of paraphernalia in the back garden hedge, including no doubt a discarded cricket bat.
@Pitchero my sons old unloved bat, defo need a new one for the upcoming season #cricketproblems pic.twitter.com/hALQYFLlma
— Heather Claydon (@wistfulzekrom) April 12, 2016
8. And the Winner is...
There could only be one winner though, and we have it Owen Murphy.
We liked the level of detail Owen went into to show just how knackered his old bat was. Providing a number of different angles, Owen was crowned our winner and wins himself a brand new Gray Nicolls Supernova as a replacement.
@Pitchero my amazing bat finally gave up and split in two!! Even more gutting when just been re-gripped! #sadtimes pic.twitter.com/zsXcr49MQR
— Owen Murphy (@O_J_Murphy87) April 12, 2016
So, need a new bat?
For those that are still lumbered with those tatty old planks, Barrington Sports is the place to grab a new one.
For some inspiration, check out our blog of the best bats to look out for in 2016.