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The Best Junior Cricket Bats: The 2022 Guide

By CricketersChoice Editors

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If you’re a parent looking for a cricket bat that is suitable for your child, you will be pleased to know that you have landed on the right page. Choosing the correct cricket bat can often be stressful, especially if you do not know a lot about cricketing equipment. We understand that cricket bats are expensive and you want to be confident that your purchase is a worthwhile investment that will benefit your child.

With this in mind, we have carefully selected a range of excellent junior cricket bats that are suitable for junior cricketers of different ages. We appreciate that levels of progression within the game can drastically vary, so our picks suit a variety of different ages and skill levels.

The Lowdown

  • Best Junior Cricket Bat: Newbery N-Series  (click to see)
    Possibly one of the best junior cricket bats ever released, the Newbery N-Series has an array of premium features all for under £75. Available in every junior size and in up to 11 colour ways, this cricket bat is perfect for any junior learning the game.
  • Best Premium Junior Cricket Bat: Gray-Nicolls Powerbow 5* (click to see)
    “The legendary Gray-Nicolls Powerbow range is back again for yet another season in 2021. In the Powerbow range, we think an excellent choice for any established junior cricketer is the Inferno 5* cricket bat. This bat is one of the highest quality available and puts power into the hands of any junior. “

Table of Contents

Best Junior Cricket Bat - Editor's Choice

Newbery N-Series Junior Cricket Bat

FEATURES

  • Grade 4 English willow
  • Weight – 2lb-2lb06oz
  • Sizes – 5/Harrow
  • Anti-scuff finish

Our top pick is from the new Newbery N-Series, which is their most affordable and colourful range to date. New for 2021, this bat offers fantastic value for money and is ideal for junior cricketers who are just starting out in their career.

Constructed with Grade 4 willow, this bat is designed to help any junior learn to clear the boundary with a minimal amount of effort. The big profile is impressive, with a lower sweet spot and excellent pick up. On the face, we counted 7 blemish free grains, which we consider a classic case of willow under grading and great value for money. 

When knocking-in this bat, we found it to be sitting right in the middle of being hard and soft.  This is typical of a Newbery bat, which also implies it won’t take long to reach peak performance. When fully knocked-in, the bat will give any junior the chance to hit the ball sweetly and further than they’ve ever hit a ball before. 

There is pretty much an option for every junior cricketer with the N-Series – this is because the bat is available for size 2 to harrow. There is also twelve, yes twelve, colours to pick from to suit any juniors preference. We think this nice customisable touch will be a hit with younger players. 

If we haven’t convinced you to put this bat in your basket just yet, it’s worth mentioning that Newbery offer an industry first personalisation service. For an additional fee, this service gives you the ability to customise the colour way, add initials and additional decals. From rainbows to bear claws, we guarantee this clever touch will leave your children smiling. 

We’re also wary that junior cricketers grow fast and cricket bats are very expensive. It’s not realistic to pay large amounts of money for a new sized bat each season. This option sits right in the middle of the market when it comes to price. Priced under the £75 mark, you are guaranteed quality that won’t break the bank too much. 

Best Premium Junior Cricket Bat

GRAY-NICOLLS POWERBOW INFERNO 5* JUNIOR CRICKET BAT

FEATURES

  • Grade 2 English willow
  • Weight – 2lb-2lb06oz
  • Sizes – 5-Harrow
  • Anti-scuff finish

Our top pick is the Gray-Nicolls Powerbow Inferno 5* junior cricket bat. Now in it’s eighth edition, we think the Inferno is possibly the best version of the Powerbow to date, making it a great investment for a junior learning the game.

Starting with the shape of the bat, the Inferno 5* has a distinct duck bill toe. This means that the bat has a very low sweet spot – possibly the lowest we’ve seen on any Powerbow before. This characteristic makes it an ideal candidate for learning to play off the front foot. We think any junior learning the game should prioritise playing aggressively off the front – after all hitting sixes is what makes us fall in love with the game right?

The weight of a junior cricket bat is an incredibly important aspect to consider. Minimal concaving in the blade and a feathered toe create an almost feather-light pick-up. There is no need to worry about the weight of the bat – we’re confident this will give any child the opportunity to practice technique comfortably.

Grade Two English willow is the material used to make this bat. The willow is reasonably soft, which shouldn’t take too long to knock-in and eventually reach peak performance. Seven blemish-free grains are displayed beautifully on the face, which you could almost pass a Grade One. 

As Gray-Nicolls state, the bat is literally designed to stand out from the crowd. Fluorescent red and yellow flame stickers are applied to the back of the bat. This is of course backed up by the bright yellow stickers on the front of the bat and on the grip. It’s no secret that the Inferno is very popular with junior cricketers thanks to this design. 

Available in size 5 to harrow, you can get the Powerbow Inferno between 2lb and 2lb06oz. It will come with an Extratec finish and is pre-coated in oil. We recommend giving the bat some extra knocking-in by using a mallet or hitting it with a new ball. It shouldn’t take too long to reach its highest levels of performance. 

We think any junior should learn to play aggressively – after all this where the most fun is had. The Powerbow supports this style of play and this is why it is our favourite. This bat is affordable, made from the highest quality materials and is available in numerous sizes.  

Best Harrow Cricket Bat

Gunn & Moore Zelos II 808

FEATURES

  • Grade 2 English Willow
  • Weight – 2lb-2lb06oz
  • Sizes – 5/Harrow
  • Anti-scuff finish

Joining the Chroma as one of the new bats within the GM range for the 2021 season, we think the Zelos II is should be a serious contender. Building on the success of the original Zelos, this new look eye-catching version has the perfect specification for any young cricketer requiring a size harrow. 

Focusing on the impressive profile, this bat has a mid-to-low middle, a slight duck bill toe and an ‘ultra curve’ bow – perhaps the most bowed bat in their range. The back of the bat has a small amount of concaving to keep the weight down. 

Grade 2 English Willow is used to make this cricket bat. We found the grains can vary in this particular willow grade, however 7 grains seems to be the standard for the 808. We found the grains to be very clean and blemish free. 

When using the mallet, we found that the bat wasn’t the softest to start. GM construct their bats to last, which explains to the slightly harder response to start. This however means that the bat will get better with age. It also implies that the bat will have no issues lasting a number of seasons. 

The bat may appear to be on the slightly heavier side, however we can confirm that the pick-up is far lighter than it looks. Bats with mid-to-low middles tend to be bottom heavy, but this is not the case with this bat. The concaving and duck bill toe contribute to effective weight distribution which benefits junior players.

Finished with a very nice colour scheme – inverted colours of the previous Zelos range, we think this almost glow in the dark theme will be a hit with youngsters. It’s also worth taking note of the pro-light grip, one of the lightest grips GM have ever made which covers the oval-bottomed handle. 

Best Size 5/6 Cricket Bat

Gray-Nicolls Powerbow Inferno 200 Junior Cricket Bat

FEATURES

  • Grade 4 English willow
  • Sizes – 5/6
  • Anti-scuff finish

It’s no secret that we love the Powerbow and we think this version of the Inferno, is a great option for any junior looking for a size 5 or 6 cricket bat. If you’ve read our number one pick review, you’ll be pleased to know that the Inferno 200 has pretty much the exact same shape and packs the exact same punch. 

So what’s the difference? Well, the main difference is the quality of the willow used in the bat. The Inferno 200 is constructed with Grade 4 English willow and is finished with an anti-scuff sheet to protect the face. We would be lying if we said you couldn’t tell the difference in quality between the two, however we still think it this bat is more than suitable for any junior learning the game. 

We will admit that this cricket bat isn’t actually the VERY best in this particular size. What we are considering is value for money and taking into account how fast your child will grow. Over the years, we’ve seen parents folk out a large amount of money on a bat to then spend the same amount again the following year. We believe the first real investments should be made in size harrow and above. 

With this in mind, we couldn’t recommend the Inferno 200 highly enough. For under £100, your child will experience the famous Powerbow features that encourages front foot play. The pick-up is light enough for a junior to experiment with shots off the back foot e.g hooks. The eye-catching graphics are also guaranteed to be a hit with any youngster. 

Best Size 3/4 Cricket Bat

Kookaburra Beast 5.0 Junior Cricket Bat

FEATURES

  • Grade 5 English willow
  • Sizes – 1 to Harrow

Allow your child to unleash their inner beast with the return of the Kookaburra beast range, back in action for the 2021 season. We think this bat is an excellent option for any junior cricketer looking for a size 3 or 4 bat. 

We firstly have to comment on the excellent make-over Kookaburra have given to the range. Low key stickers have been applied to the face and back of the bat and an industry first clear grip has been applied to the handle, exposing superb beast graphics underneath. Based on looks alone, we already know this will be a hit with children. 

Focusing on the profile, the bat has a high spine and big edges which puts power into the hands of any batsman. This is great for young children who haven’t quite developed their full range of strength yet. If you are worried about the weight of the bat, the spine tapers off nicely towards the toe. As a result the pick-up of the bat is extremely lightweight, giving any junior cricketer a chance to hit balls to the boundary!

Grade 5 willow is used to make the Beast 5.0. The willow is unbleached, however this does not affect performance by any means. We were impressed by the responsiveness off the mallet at first. The willow is slightly hard, however thats expected with a Grade 5. After knocking-in, it shouldn’t take too long to get the bat to peak performance. 

We would also like to point out that juniors using size 3 to 4 bats are typically between the ages of 8 and 10. They will require a new cricket bat in a season or two, so it may be a better investment to buy a cheaper bat for this age group. With this is mind, we think the beat offers fantastic value for money whilst giving a junior learning the game every chance at the crease. 

 

Best Size 1/2 Cricket Bat

Gunn & Moore Eclipse Kashmir Willow Cricket Bat

FEATURES

  • Grade 2 English willow
  • Weight – 2lb-2lb06oz
  • Sizes – 5/Harrow
  • Anti-scuff finish

Best Size 0 Cricket Bat

GUNN & MOORE OPENER CRICKET SET

FEATURES

  • 1 Moulded Cricket Bat
  • 1 All Weather Rubber Ball
  • 1 All Weather Stumps
  • Carry Case

Sometimes a wooden cricket bat isn’t always the best solution for a child learning the game. A size 0 bat is designed for very young children. The truth is, manufacturers tend to agree that a child ages 4-5 are perhaps not best suited to wooden cricket bats and so there aren’t that many available to purchase. 

Even though there are wooden cricket bat options, we advise that you steer clear for now. We think that you should allow your child a little bit more time to develop before thinking purchasing their first willow cricket bat. Instead, you should look at a plastic cricket bat that comes as part of a set. A set gives a young child the opportunity to learn more about the get, such as getting familiar with batting, bowling and cricket stumps. 

A great option is the Gunn & Moore Opener cricket set. This set is specifically designed for young children learning the game. The set can be played with inside, the back garden, the park or beach. GM have developed an all-round quality cricket set that is available for a very cheap price. This set is the perfect introduction to cricket for your child. 

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