Why Grade 2 Beats Grade 1 for NetsThe one place in cricket where buying down is the better decision
Almost every piece of buying advice points upward: better cleft, finer grade, more money. For net cricket that advice is wrong, and the reason sits in what a grade actually selects for.
What a grade actually selects for
This is the sentence the whole article turns on, and it surprises most buyers:
Higher grades are selected for performance, not durability. A finer cleft is older and slower grown, which makes it lighter and less dense. That gives superb response — and leaves less material there to absorb repeated abuse.
So a grade is not a score out of ten. It describes what a cleft was chosen for. Choose a cleft for consistency of response and you accept a timber that wears faster. That is a good trade when the consistency is the point — in a match, against good bowling, where every ball counts.
In nets, the consistency is not the point and the wear is constant. Which turns the usual advice on its head.
Four reasons nets kill bats
You face far more balls than in an innings
A club batter can be out third ball on a Sunday. In nets they bat for a set time, and every delivery is faced rather than left.
What it does to a bat: Volume is the whole difference. A season of nets puts more impacts through a blade than a season of matches, and the bat has no idea which were important.
The balls are older and harder
Nets run on last season's balls. Leather hardens as it dries out and the lacquer goes.
What it does to a bat: An older ball is less forgiving on the surface of the blade than a newer one, and you meet dozens of them in a row.
More of the contact is off-centre
Nets are where you work on what you are not yet good at — a shot you are learning, a length you struggle with.
What it does to a bat: That is the point of practice, and it is brutal on edges and toes. You mishit more in nets than you do in the middle, by design.
The surfaces are harder on equipment
Net strips are used constantly and prepared less. Matting over concrete is common, and so are bare, abrasive run-ups.
What it does to a bat: The toe takes it. Dragging a bat between deliveries on a net strip does more damage over a season than any ball does.
Put those together and the conclusion is uncomfortable: the bat you paid most for is being destroyed in the sessions that matter least, by balls that were not trying to get you out.
Why denser wins here
Kashmir willow is naturally denser than English willow, and Grade 2 is denser than Grade 1 within Kashmir willow — because it is a younger, faster-grown cleft with tighter packing of material rather than finer fibre.
What fails in a net bat is the surface, the edges and the toe. Every one of those is a question of how much material is there to take the blow. Density is the property that answers it.
| Finer cleft (Grade 1 and above) | Grade 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Selected for | Consistency of response | Soundness and density |
| Density | Lower | Higher |
| Tolerates mishits | Less well | Better |
| Right for | Matches, where every ball counts | Nets, academies, volume |
None of which makes Grade 2 a lesser bat. It makes it the correct tool for a specific job — and the job happens to be the one that wears equipment fastest.
The two-bat arithmetic
Here is the case in plain numbers, using our own range.
| Setup | Cost | What happens over a season |
|---|---|---|
| One Striker, used for everything | ₹20,999 | A Grade 1 English willow cleft absorbs every net session. It is the least suitable timber for that workload. |
| Striker for matches + Academy Edition for nets | ₹25,498 | The ₹4,499 bat takes the volume. The match bat comes out when the cricket counts. |
The second setup costs ₹4,499 more once. What it buys is a match bat that spends its life doing the job it was selected for, and a net bat that is genuinely better suited to nets than the expensive one would be.
The argument gets stronger the more your match bat costs. At ₹36,999 or ₹49,999 it stops being a calculation and becomes obvious. At ₹5,999 it is barely worth doing — if you already bat with a Player Edition, spend the money on protection instead.
Which Kashmir willow bat
All four get the same 8-stage hydraulic pressing, multi-piece cane handle, fitted toe guard and 12-month handle warranty. Only the cleft changes.
| Bat | Grade | Price | Right for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Academy Edition | Grade 2 — denser | ₹4,499 | Nets, academies, high-volume use |
| Legend Edition | Grade 1 | ₹4,999 | Mostly matches rather than nets |
| Limited Edition | Grade 1+ | ₹5,499 | Competitive age-group and league cricket |
| Player Edition | Player Grade | ₹5,999 | Middling the ball in regular competitive cricket |
Note the shape of that table: it is not a ladder. The Academy Edition at the bottom is the right answer for a specific use, not the entry point you upgrade away from. An academy player in nets four times a week is better served by it than by the Player Edition above it.
Making a net bat last
A net bat still needs preparing. One that skipped knocking in fails faster than one that did, which defeats the point of buying it.
- Four to six hours of mallet work on Kashmir willow plus light oiling, over two to three weeks. At least thirty minutes on the edges — the part almost everyone skips.
- Lift the bat when you walk. Dragging the toe on a net strip does more damage over a season than the balls do.
- Keep the toe guard intact. If it lifts at an edge, get it replaced rather than leaving it.
- Fit an anti-scuff sheet after knocking in — never before.
- Never store it damp. A toe softened by moisture wears far faster on an abrasive surface.
Add our preparation service for ₹1,000 and it arrives ready, or follow the knocking-in guide.
Questions players ask
Is Grade 2 Kashmir willow worse than Grade 1? +
Not for nets. Grade 2 is a denser cleft than Grade 1, and density is what survives repeated impact. Higher grades are selected for performance rather than durability - they are lighter and less dense, with less material to absorb abuse. For high-volume net cricket, Grade 2 is the correct timber rather than a compromise.
Why is a denser bat better for practice? +
Because what fails in nets is the surface, the edges and the toe, and all three are a question of how much material is there to absorb the blow. A denser cleft has more, in the places that take the punishment.
What is the Academy Edition? +
Our Grade 2 Kashmir willow bat at ₹4,499, built for nets and academy cricket. It gets the same 8-stage hydraulic pressing, multi-piece cane handle, fitted toe guard and 12-month handle warranty as every other bat we make.
Do I really need a separate bat for nets? +
If you own an expensive match bat, yes - it is the clearest value decision in cricket. A season of nets puts more impacts through a blade than a season of matches. A ₹4,499 bat taking that wear instead of a ₹20,999 one pays for itself quickly.
Is it worth buying a net bat if my match bat is cheap? +
Less so. If you play with a ₹5,999 Kashmir willow bat already, a second bat is a smaller saving - you are better off spending on protection or preparation. The two-bat argument gets stronger the more your match bat costs.
Can I use my old bat for nets instead? +
Yes, and plenty of players do. Just check it is still sound - a bat with a soft toe, a broken surface or movement at the splice can fail suddenly, and a net is a bad place for that. Our repair page covers what is fixable.
Does the Academy Edition need knocking in? +
Yes - four to six hours of mallet work on Kashmir willow plus light oiling, spread over two to three weeks, with at least thirty minutes on the edges. A net bat that skipped preparation fails faster than one that did, which defeats the purpose.
What sizes does it come in? +
From Size 4 upward. Size by height rather than age - stand the bat beside the player's leg and the top of the handle should reach their hip.
Should academies buy Grade 2 for their players? +
It is what we would recommend, and it is why the bat is called the Academy Edition. A squad in nets four times a week is the exact workload Grade 2 handles best. Minimum wholesale order is 30 units and sizes are mixable.
Will a Grade 2 bat feel worse to bat with? +
It has less consistent response across the face than a finer cleft, which you notice most on shots away from the middle. In a net session, where you are working on technique rather than scoring, that matters far less than it would in a match.
Is English willow a bad idea for nets? +
Higher grades of English willow are the worst choice for nets, because they are selected for response and have least material to absorb abuse. If you only own one bat and it is English willow, at least keep the toe guard intact and never drag the bat on a net strip.
How long should a net bat last? +
It depends entirely on volume and surface rather than on a figure we can quote. What ends them is almost always the toe, and that is largely within your control: lift the bat when you walk, keep the toe guard intact, and never store it damp.
Related: what the grades describe, why bats break, and English willow vs Kashmir willow on value.
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