Name: “Cricket Bat” Willow
Latin Name: Salix alba var. caerulea
What3Words Location: ///spaces.upon.type
Did you know?
Although the tree is fast growing, it still takes 15-20 years before it is suitable
for making cricket bats.
Information:
Cricket bat willow, also known as Leicester willow or English willow, is a large, fast-growing deciduous tree (a tree that sheds its leaves each year) traditionally cultivated in Britain for its timber. It has upright branches, dark grey, deeply furrowed bark and narrow blue-green leaves. In spring, slender catkins appear at about the same time as the new foliage.
In the UK, it is particularly associated with riverbanks, streams, ditches and floodplains, as it likes moist soil. However, the ground should drain after flooding rather than remain permanently waterlogged.
Producing high-quality bat timber requires careful management. Young trees are usually grown from long cuttings called sets, and their trunks need to be kept straight and free of side branches. After many years of steady growth, the timber may be harvested and shaped into cricket bats.
Although cricket bat willow is best known for its connection with the sport, it is also part of the wider willow family, which provides valuable habitats and food for wildlife. Willows are important riverside trees: their flowers provide an early source of nectar and pollen; their branches and foliage offer shelter for insects and birds, and their roots help bind the soil and prevent it from getting washed away in floods.