Nine out of ten junior bats that come back to us as "too big" were bought on age. The chart on the back of the box says 9 to 10 years, the child is nine, into the basket it goes. Then he cannot pick the thing up above waist height and his front elbow collapses every time he tries to drive.
Bat size is a height measurement. Age is a rough proxy that works for the average child and fails for everyone else, which is most of them between the ages of eight and fourteen. Measure first, then read the chart.
Measure the player, not the birthday
Stand them against a door frame in the socks or cricket shoes they will actually bat in, mark the top of the head with a pencil, measure to the floor. Do it again in April if you bought in September, because a Year 7 can put on four inches in a season and a bat that was right at the start of the summer can be a size behind by August.
Two other things worth knowing before you look at any chart. The Laws of Cricket cap a bat at 38 inches overall length and 4.25 inches across the face, so a long handle adult bat is the ceiling, not a starting point for a tall thirteen-year-old. And the sizes below are the standard industry ladder, but they are guidance rather than regulation. Manufacturers vary by half an inch here and there, and a couple of brands slot an extra "academy" or "small adult" size between Harrow and short handle for players stuck in the gap.
The cricket bat size chart
| Bat size | Player height | Rough age guide |
|---|---|---|
| Size 1 | Up to 4ft 3in (129cm) | 4 to 5 |
| Size 2 | 4ft 3in to 4ft 6in (129 to 137cm) | 6 to 7 |
| Size 3 | 4ft 6in to 4ft 9in (137 to 144cm) | 8 to 9 |
| Size 4 | 4ft 9in to 4ft 11in (144 to 150cm) | 9 to 10 |
| Size 5 | 4ft 11in to 5ft 0in (150 to 153cm) | 10 to 11 |
| Size 6 | 5ft 0in to 5ft 3in (153 to 160cm) | 11 to 13 |
| Harrow | 5ft 3in to 5ft 6in (160 to 168cm) | 13 to 15 |
| Short handle | 5ft 6in to 6ft 2in (168 to 188cm) | 15 and over |
| Long handle | Over 6ft 2in (188cm) | 15 and over |
If a player lands on a boundary between two sizes, go down, not up. A slightly short bat gets swung properly and teaches a decent shape. A slightly long one teaches the player to lean back and slap at the ball, and that habit takes a coach two winters to unpick.
The two checks we do before anyone leaves with a bat
Charts get you to the right shelf. These get you to the right bat.
- Stand it up beside them. Bat upright on the floor, next to the leg, blade down. The top of the handle should sit somewhere between the top of the thigh and the hip bone. Up near the ribs and it is too long.
- Top hand only. Get them into a batting stance, then have them lift the bat with the top hand alone and hold it there for a few seconds. If the toe drops or the wrist folds, the bat is too heavy for them regardless of what the length says. This one catches more bad purchases than the height test does.
Do both with the gloves on if you have them. A junior batting glove changes the grip diameter enough to matter, and a handle that felt fine bare-handed can feel like a rounders bat once the padding goes on.
Weight is the bit the chart cannot tell you
Two size 6 bats from the same brand can differ by three or four ounces. The size tells you the length; the pick-up tells you whether the player can bat with it.
Junior bats generally run somewhere between 1lb 8oz and 2lb 4oz, and adult short handles mostly sit in the 2lb 7oz to 2lb 12oz band, though there is plenty of spread either side of both. The number stamped on the sticker matters less than where the weight sits. A 2lb 9oz bat with a low, well-balanced pick-up feels lighter in the hands than a 2lb 7oz bat with everything stacked high in the blade.
For a junior, err light. Bat speed and the ability to play a proper vertical bat shot are worth far more at that age than the extra few yards a heavy blade might buy on a mistimed drive. Grown adults playing club cricket have been steadily going lighter for twenty years; there is no reason a twelve-year-old should be swinging something a county pro would find a handful.
Harrow, short handle, long handle
Harrow is the awkward one because it is not a junior size and it is not quite an adult size. It is a genuine step, usually around an inch shorter in the blade than a short handle with a slightly narrower face, and it suits players roughly 5ft 3in to 5ft 6in. Plenty of players go straight from a size 6 to a short handle and skip it entirely, which is fine if they have shot up. If they are growing steadily, Harrow is worth the season.
Short handle is the standard adult bat and covers the large majority of senior players. Long handle exists for players over about 6ft 2in and adds length to the handle rather than the blade, so the weight does not climb much. Tall players who try to make do with a short handle end up bent over at the crease, which drags the head down and closes off the leg side.
One last thing on grips. If a handle feels too thin for a growing lad with big hands, a second grip or a rubber sleeve solves it for a couple of pounds and buys another season out of a bat that still fits on length. It is the cheapest useful thing on the shelf.
If you want a hand with any of this, our cricket bats and junior kit are sized to the standard ladder above, and there are grips and bat care bits to go with them. Bring the child in and we will do the two checks properly, or get in touch with a height and we will point you at the right size.