Bat review: Gray-Nicolls Cobra 5 Star

More than anything, this felt like a classy piece of wood – not only in its generosity if you got a booming drive out of the screws, but also simply from its decoration and its handle

RRP: £325, Edges: 37mm, Weight: 2lb 9oz

A bat for proper batters. That was the verdict of the day from the testers. What they meant by that was its Gray Nicolls-ness: unfussy, instantly recognisable, no great frills.

Darren Stevens was taken by what he described as "a lovely handle", while tester James enjoyed its profile. If he had a complaint, it was in a slightly heavy pickup.

Tester Nick concurred. "A bit clunky," he said.

But that was his only criticism. "It played much better than I thought it would when I first picked it up," he admitted. "Very establishment and uncontroversial."

For Stevens, it could have done with more weight but acknowledged its "great middle".

That much was unargued, with a fairly central middle and what felt like an even distribution of weight across the willow.

More than anything, this felt like a classy piece of wood – not only in its generosity if you got a booming drive out of the screws, but also simply from its decoration and – as Stevens alluded to – its handle.

There are more spectacular bats on the market, but the professionals – Stevens and Georgia Adams – were both impressed.

Initial impression: 7.4

Build quality: 7.2

Pick-up/feel: 6.8

Performance: 7.2

Overall score: 7.2

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