The cricket season has finished, and your cricket bag and kit are dumped in an unheated garage, stuffed under the stairs, or shoved into a damp garden shed until nets start up again in February – does this sound familiar?
English willow, leather, high-density foam, and damp British winters are not a great mix. Spend a little time this autumn caring for your kit and storing it appropriately to give it the best chance for the upcoming season.
Caring for your Bat
English willow is organic and responsive to its environment. If stored somewhere damp, it swells and rots; if kept somewhere hot or dry, it turns brittle, and the face will shatter the first time you mistime a drive in April.
First, wipe the blade clean with a lightly damp microfiber cloth to remove soil and boundary paint, then let it dry naturally. Do not place it against a radiator or use a hairdryer. Once clean, inspect the surface closely. Peel back any peeling anti-scuff sheet and check the toe, edges, and shoulders for surface fissures or delamination.
Autumn is the best time to send a bat away for refurbishment or minor repairs. Bat makers have months of breathing room before the pre-season rush, meaning faster turnaround times.
If the bat has raw willow exposed, apply a light coat of raw linseed oil—roughly half a teaspoon applied with a lint-free cloth, avoiding the splice and stickers. Stand the bat horizontally or propped up on its handle so the oil sinks across the grain rather than collecting in the toe.
Once dry, keep the bat in a padded bat cover and store it in a spare room or wardrobe inside the house. Never leave it in an uninsulated loft or garage where temperatures drop below freezing.
Gloves and Pads
Batting gloves and wicket-keeping inners take the brunt of sweat, seam friction, and grip wear. Shoving damp gloves into a zipped compartment guarantees bacterial growth that degrades the leather palms until they tear on contact.
To save the leather:
- Wipe away external dirt with a soft brush or damp cloth.
- Treat sheepskin or calf-leather palms with a dedicated leather balm or saddle soap to keep them supple and prevent hardening.
- Stuff the fingers loosely with clean newspaper to draw out residual sweat and maintain their natural shape.
- Air-dry them thoroughly at room temperature before packing them away.
Leg pads require similar care. The polyurethane (PU) or painted canvas facings pick up grass stains and ground muck that become impossible to remove once set. Sponge the front down with warm, soapy water. Check the Velcro straps and buckles; if grass or dirt is trapped in the hook-and-loop fasteners, tease it out with an old toothbrush so they still hold securely when you need to strap them on in a hurry.
Shoes and Bag
Don't store your kit inside a dirty bag. Pull everything out of your kit bag or wheelie coffin, turn it upside down to clear out the half-inch of pitch dust, grass clippings, and lost stud keys, and leave the main compartments unzipped to air out.
Your spikes need their own routine:
- Knock dried mud off the soles with a stiff brush.
- Unscrew metal or composite spikes completely. Leaving them screwed in over winter often causes threads to rust and seize into the soleplate.
- Lightly coat the screw threads with a touch of petroleum jelly or multi-purpose grease before screwing them back in loosely or storing them in a small tub.
- Wash the insoles separately and let the boots dry out away from direct heat sources.
Helmets and Protection
A cracked helmet shell or degraded EPS foam liner is dangerous. Remove the inner sweatband padding - most are Velcro-fastened - and wash it gently by hand. Check the titanium or steel grille for bent welds, loose retention screws, or rusted joints. Once clean, store the helmet inside its drawstring bag to prevent other kit from scratching the shell or warping the peak during storage.
For abdominal guards and thigh pads, wash any elasticated straps, wipe down hard plastic shields with disinfectant, and ensure they are bone-dry before boxing them up.
Where to Keep Everything
Find a temperature-stable, dry spot indoors. A corner of a heated spare room, an airing cupboard with decent airflow, or the top shelf of a bedroom wardrobe works best.
Garages and wooden sheds trap damp, experience huge temperature swings, and are prime territory for mice nesting in batting pad fillings. Keeping your kit warm, clean, and dry throughout the winter means that, come early net sessions, you can pick up your bag and walk out to the middle without a nasty surprise.
Image Credit: Adobe Stock / Svetlana Kulakova / 2215014886