New giant Bradbury cricket bat to be unveiled at Narrikup Cricket Club

Narrikup’s famous giant Bradbury cricket bat will make a return to the Narrikup Cricket Club this weekend.

The wooden bat attracted attention from across the nation after it was put up in 2015 but was taken down in October last year due to wear and tear.

The club is also famous for its picket fence made out of old cricket bats.

However it has built a new giant bat out of aluminum and it will be unveiled this Saturday.

Narrikup Cricket Club will also host a Twenty20 tournament with the Pilbara Lions Cricket Club this weekend.

Club captain James Morris said the bat was a major drawcard for the town.

“It was unfortunate it had to be pulled down because of the wear and tear,” he said.

“It’s amazing how much traffic comes through the club to look that fence and bat.

“The amount of people that have called in has been amazing and everyone is looking forward to seeing the new bat.

“The bat brings tourists to town but also stories and people from all over Australia.”

The club has had plenty of support in getting the new bat made.

“Huge thanks to our bat sponsor LSR Sports, they come highly recommended and you can see some of the gear showcased by our players,” Morris said.

“Also thanks to Rio Tinto who have helped in the building of the new bat, Westerberg Aluminium for building the bat at short notice, and Albany signs for doing all the artwork and supplying the signs for the new sponsors.”

The official unveiling of the new bat will be at noon on Saturday at the club.

The club was hoping to have a guest appearance by a famous international cricketer but COVID halted those plans.

Pilbara Lions Cricket Club from Perth will bring their fifth grade one-day and two-day sides to town to play in the tournament.

Three games will be played on Saturday and the top two teams to play off in a grand final at 9.30am on Sunday.

There will be $200 club voucher for the winning team and a $100 voucher for the player of the tournament.

“It’s a first for the club to have Perth teams coming to visit, they are staying at the club and we are making a whole festival of it including dinner on Saturday night,” Morris said.

“It’s great to be able to bring people together from different backgrounds cultures for the love of the game.

“We wanted to make the weekend a celebration of cricket for the sponsors, players and as we have nine players going to country week and no senior cricket this weekend the guys wanted a competitive hit.”

“I’m looking forward to the camaraderie that cricket brings in a community, the mixing of mates and new faces — and also the exposure our large bat brings not just our community but the whole of the Great Southern.”