Gray-Nicolls Matrix Grip-Blk at a glance

Product description

Lightweight, extra-soft formula provides outstanding balance and feel Sectional multi-angled design provides ultimate grip Printed colourful designs Hard-wearing rubber for durability

Cricket bat grips

A grip is the cheapest piece of cricket equipment and the one that most directly affects bat control.

When to replace

Replace a grip when it hardens, glazes, or when the hands slide during a shot. A perished grip on a $600 bat is a false economy - most players should replace grips at least once a season, and any player batting weekly through a summer will want two or three.

Types

• Chevron - the standard raised-chevron rubber. Grippy, durable, the default.
• Octopus / suction - raised nodules, maximum tack, popular in humid conditions.
• Spiral / ribbed - moderate texture, thinner feel, closer contact with the handle.
• Scale / dimple - shaped textures, largely a matter of preference.

Thickness and double grips

A second grip increases handle diameter, which suits large hands and reduces the wrist strain of gripping too tightly. It also adds a small amount of weight above the splice, which slightly improves pick-up feel. Players with smaller hands, and most juniors, should stay with a single grip - too thick a handle prevents the top hand from controlling the face.

Fitting

Grips are fitted with a grip cone or by rolling. Fit dry, over a clean handle. If a handle binding is loose or the twine has come away, that needs repair before a new grip goes on - a grip will not hold a failing binding together.

Why grip choice affects your batting

The grip is the only point of contact between player and bat, and it governs two things that matter technically: how tightly you have to hold the bat, and how much the handle can rotate in the hands at impact.

Grip pressure and bat speed. A worn or glazed grip forces the player to hold on harder to stop the bat turning. Grip tension travels up the forearms into the shoulders, and tight forearms slow the swing and shorten the follow-through. Coaches spend a great deal of time telling players to hold the bat lightly - a fresh grip makes that instruction possible to follow.

Rotation at impact. A ball struck off-centre applies a twisting force to the handle. A grip with enough tack resists that rotation, keeping the face square through contact. This is why hitting the ball off the toe or the edge with a worn grip is so much more painful: the handle turns in the hands and the shock goes into the wrists.

Handle diameter and hand size

Bat handles are roughly 30-32 mm in diameter under the grip. Adding a second grip takes that to 34-36 mm. The right diameter is the one where the fingers of the top hand can close comfortably around the handle with the fingertips reaching the palm without pressing hard into it.

• Too thin and the player squeezes to keep control, which locks the wrists.
• Too thick and the top hand cannot wrap far enough round, which stops it controlling the face and pushes the player toward a bottom-hand-dominant swing.

Larger hands and players who suffer forearm fatigue generally benefit from a double grip. Juniors almost never should - most junior handles are already proportionally thick for small hands.

Fitting and removal

Grips are fitted with a cone or by rolling them on over the handle. The handle must be dry and free of old adhesive. If the twine binding under the grip is loose, lifting or unravelling, that must be repaired first: a grip does not hold a failing binding together, and a handle that comes apart under a grip usually means a re-handle rather than a repair.

Removing an old grip is easiest by cutting it lengthways with a blade angled away from the handle - never dig into the binding. Cricket For All's Gilles Plains workshop fits grips and repairs handle bindings alongside its bat repair services.

Grips beyond bats

The same rubber sleeve technology appears on other cricket equipment: some players fit grips to the handles of bowling machines, ball throwers and even kit bag pull handles. Chevron grip material is also sold in sheet form for repairs.

Bat grip terms

• Chevron - the standard raised-chevron rubber pattern.
• Octopus / suction - raised nodules for maximum tack.
• Grip cone - the tool used to stretch a grip onto a handle.
• Binding / twine - the wrapped cord under the grip holding the handle together.
• Double grip - two grips fitted over each other to increase handle diameter.

Where this sits in the range

Cricket For All stocks 93 other bat grip items, priced from $4.99 to $129.99. At $9.99 this one sits around the middle of that range.

Comparable options in the same category and size band:

What to buy alongside

Grips are cheap and wear out; buy two or three at a time. A grip cone makes fitting straightforward.

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 bat grip

How often should I replace a bat grip?

At least once a season, and two or three times for anyone batting weekly. Replace when the rubber hardens, glazes, or when your hands slide during a shot. A perished grip on an expensive bat is a false economy.

Should I use two grips?

A double grip increases handle diameter, which suits larger hands and reduces the tendency to grip too tightly. It also adds a little weight above the splice, subtly improving pick-up feel. Juniors and players with smaller hands should stay single - too thick a handle stops the top hand controlling the face.

How do I fit a grip?

With a grip cone, or by rolling it on over a clean dry handle. Check the handle binding first: if the twine is loose or lifting, that needs repair before a grip goes on, because a grip will not hold a failing binding together.

Which grip type is best?

Chevron is the durable default. Octopus and suction types give maximum tack and suit humid conditions. Spiral and ribbed give a thinner feel and closer contact with the handle. Beyond that it is preference.

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.