Gray-Nicolls GN 700 Batting Gloves-A-LH at a glance

Product description

Protection: 3 Lightness: 4 Comfort: 4 Multi-flex pre-curved design featuring 18 sections with softfill lining for protection, flexibility and comfort Fibretec inserts on lead two fingers Combination high and low density foam provides impact shock absorption and vibration dampening Super-flex two-piece thumb for exceptional comfort Quality leather palm with wear patch for increased durability Mesh gussets for ventilation Dual-sided sweatbands for increased moisture absorption and player comfort

How to choose batting gloves

Gloves are the piece of equipment most often bought a size too big, and the one where fit most directly affects both safety and technique.

Fit

The fingertips should sit a few millimetres short of the end of each glove finger, with no space for the finger to slide forward under impact. A glove that is too long moves on the hand, which both reduces bat control and lets protection sit off the joint it is meant to cover. Sizes run Boys / Youth / Small Adult / Adult (Men's), and left-hand and right-hand variants refer to the bottom hand, so a right-handed batter takes a right-hand pair.

Protection design

• Sausage fingers - individual padded rolls, the traditional design. More flexible, generally lighter.
• Bar / cotton-bar - horizontal bars across the fingers, more coverage across the knuckle line.
• Moulded or composite - shaped high-density foam, sometimes with carbon or thermoplastic inserts on the thumb and index finger.

The bottom-hand index finger and thumb take the majority of impacts, especially against pace and short balls. Reinforcement there matters more than total padding weight.

Palm material

Sheep leather is the standard palm - grippy, supple and it moulds to the hand. Pittards or similar treated leathers add durability and moisture resistance. Synthetic palms are cheaper and cooler but wear through faster at the base of the thumb.

Inners

Batting inners (cotton or moisture-wicking) are worn under gloves to absorb sweat, improve grip inside the glove and extend glove life considerably. Two pairs rotated is the practical minimum for anyone batting weekly.

Care

Air gloves after every use - never leave them sealed in a kit bag. Dry away from direct heat, which hardens leather and cracks the palm. Wash inners, not gloves.

Where the ball actually hits a batting glove

Glove protection is not distributed evenly, and it should not be. Impact data and simple observation both point the same way: the bottom hand takes the majority of significant blows, and within that hand the index finger and thumb take most of them.

The mechanism is straightforward. A ball that beats the bat and strikes the hands usually does so on the bottom hand, which sits lower on the handle and closer to the line of the ball. A short ball climbing onto the gloves finds the top of the bottom hand. The top hand is struck far less often, and when it is, usually on the back rather than the fingers.

This is why glove designs put reinforced protection on the bottom-hand index finger and thumb, and why comparing gloves on total padding weight is the wrong comparison. What matters is coverage in the zones that actually get hit.

Protection styles compared

None is universally better. A flexible sausage-finger glove that lets a player feel the handle may produce better batting than a heavily armoured glove that does not.

Palm materials and wear

The palm is the part that fails first. Sheep leather is the standard: grippy, supple, moulds to the hand. Treated leathers such as Pittards add durability and moisture resistance at a price premium. Synthetic palms are cooler and cheaper but wear through at the base of the thumb noticeably faster.

Palm wear is accelerated by sweat, which is the argument for inners in one sentence.

Sizing detail

Sizes typically run Small Boys, Boys, Youth, Small Adult and Adult (Men's), with some brands adding Large Adult. Measure hand length from the base of the palm to the tip of the middle finger, and check three things when trying gloves on:

1. Fingertips sit within a few millimetres of the glove ends without pressing.
2. Knuckle flex - the glove creases at the knuckles, not across the palm.
3. Grip test - take a batting grip; the glove should close without bunching in the palm or gapping at the back of the hand.

A glove that passes the length test but bunches in the palm is too wide, which is common for players with narrow hands.

Handedness

Gloves are sold as a handed pair, and handedness refers to the bottom hand. A right-handed batter takes a right-handed pair. Getting this wrong puts the reinforced protection on the wrong hand and the thumb shaping on the wrong side, and the pair cannot simply be swapped.

Inners, in detail

Batting inners do three jobs: absorb sweat before it reaches the palm leather, improve grip inside the glove so the hand does not slide, and add a thin layer of shock absorption. Cotton is the standard; moisture-wicking synthetics dry faster.

Two pairs rotated is the practical minimum for a player batting weekly - one pair drying while the other is in use. Inners are cheap and roughly double the working life of the gloves they protect.

Care and replacement

Air after every use; never store sealed in a kit bag. Dry away from heat, which hardens leather and cracks the palm. Wash the inners, never the gloves.

Replace gloves when the palm wears through, when padding has compressed to the point where impacts sting, or when the glove no longer holds its shape on the hand. For a player batting weekly through an Australian season, expect one to two seasons.

Batting glove terms

• Sausage fingers - individually padded finger rolls, the traditional flexible design.
• Bar protection - horizontal padded bars across the fingers for greater knuckle coverage.
• Palm - the gripping surface, usually sheep leather; the part that wears first.
• Inners - thin cotton or moisture-wicking gloves worn underneath.
• Bottom hand - the hand lower on the handle, which takes most impacts and determines handedness.
• Gusset - the flexible material between fingers allowing the hand to close.

Where this sits in the range

Cricket For All stocks 70 other senior batting gloves items, priced from $10.00 to $300.00. At $69.99 this one sits toward the accessible end of that range.

Comparable options in the same category and size band:

What to buy alongside

Buy inners with gloves - they absorb the sweat that destroys palm leather and add shock absorption, and two pairs rotated roughly doubles glove life.

About Gray-Nicolls

Gray-Nicolls is one of cricket's oldest equipment makers, founded in England in 1855 and manufacturing in Australia as well. The range spans entry-level Kashmir willow through to Players-grade English willow, and the brand is equally well known for protective equipment and bags.

Common questions about batting gloves

How do I know if batting gloves fit?

Fingertips should reach within a few millimetres of the end of the glove fingers with no room to slide. Make a batting grip while wearing them: the glove should flex at the knuckles without bunching in the palm. If the glove creases heavily across the palm, it is too large.

What is the difference between left-hand and right-hand gloves?

Gloves are sold as a pair, and the handedness refers to the bottom hand on the bat. A right-handed batter takes a right-handed pair, in which the left glove (top hand) carries more thumb protection and the right glove carries reinforced finger protection on the side facing the bowler.

How often should batting gloves be replaced?

For a player batting weekly through a season, one to two seasons. Replace when the palm wears through, when padding compresses so impacts sting, or when the glove no longer holds shape on the hand. Inners extend glove life significantly and cost a fraction of a new pair.

Can batting gloves be washed?

No. Washing destroys leather palms and compresses the protective foam. Air them after every use, dry away from direct heat, and wash the inners instead.

Do I need inners?

Yes, in practice. Inners absorb sweat that would otherwise break down the palm leather, improve grip inside the glove, and add a small amount of shock absorption. Two pairs rotated is the working minimum.

Why do my fingers still hurt through good gloves?

Usually because the glove is too large and moving on impact, or because the ball is being taken on the end of the fingers rather than the padded surface. Persistent bottom-hand pain is often a grip issue rather than an equipment issue - worth raising with a coach.

Buying from Cricket For All

Cricket For All is an Adelaide cricket centre and online store at Unit 1-2, 621-623 North East Road, Gilles Plains, South Australia. Flat-rate shipping applies across South Australia, with free shipping on orders over $500.

The store sits inside a working cricket centre with indoor lanes and bowling machines, so equipment advice comes from nationally accredited coaches who see the same gear in use daily rather than from a catalogue. Trading hours are Monday to Thursday 12:00pm-10:00pm, Friday 12:00pm-9:00pm, and Saturday and Sunday 10:00am-6:00pm. Phone (08) 7095 5777 or email retail@cricketforall.com.au.

Price, variant and availability details reflect the catalogue when this page was compiled; the live product page carries current pricing and stock.