As one of the heavier bats tested, the Newbury’s pick up and feel was the star of the show. One student described it as ‘just a good bat’ adding: “Not too heavy, had something when you hit it."
RRP: £300, Edges: 28mm, Weight: 2lb 11oz
Another bat that split the testers into groups with the student testers strongly in favour of the Newbery Navarone 5 Star.
As one of the heavier bats tested, the Newbury’s pick-up and feel was the star of the show. One student described it as ‘just a good bat’ adding: “Not too heavy, had something when you hit it. Really grippy.”
Another said “The pick-up and feel was very good, the performance as well. The ball comes at the middle very nicely. It’s a bit thicker to increase the punch but had a really nice feel to it.
The Newbery Navarone 'really had something when you hit it'. [Paul Carroll]
Editor Huw Turbervill however wasn’t as impressed saying: “It didn’t ping off the middle. It was a little clunky.”
Turbervill added: “I’m sure I hit it out the middle and it didn’t fly, verified by the watching Jim Hindson. He said a couple of good shots but they didn’t seem to go out of the middle which is disappointing as I love Newbery and it’s connections with Sussex.”
Nick Friend however called the bat ‘consistent’ with previous editions: “ It is quite true to the original branding, well like the last one and has a pretty consistent pick up.”
Initial impression: 7.5
Build quality: 7.5
Pick-up/feel: 8
Performance: 7.5
OVERALL SCORE: 7.6
Watch cricket masterclasses from the pros and find out about all the best equipment for your 2024 season on The Cricketer's YouTube channel:
Welcome to www.thecricketer.com - the online home of the world’s oldest cricket magazine. Breaking news, interviews, opinion and cricket goodness from every corner of our beautiful sport, from village green to national arena.