A fast cricket ball hitting a wooden cricket bat, will cause damage. But if you care for your bat, you can slow this damage so that your bat continues to serve you well.
Most of this blog relates to bats facing a hard ball. Junior bats facing a soft ball aren't exposed to the same level of damage.
You need to oil you bat, and compress the wood fibres to increase it's playing life.
Pre-Prepared.
Some bats have been pressed when they are factory made. Often these bats have a sticky clear plastic stuck to the bat face, a rubber guard glued onto the bat toe, and possibly fibreglass taped along the bat edges. All of this is to help protect the bat. It does save you some work, but the bat still needs some Knocking In. The bat facing prevents you from oiling the face, but it is often a good idea to apply Linseed Oil to the back during the season. Be careful to avoid the bat makers stickers.
Linseed Oil
Apply Linseed oil to the wood to help stop it drying out. Do this before any Knocking In. Apply about ½ teaspoon of oil to a cloth and rub on the bat face, edges, toe and back. Avoid the bat makers stickers. After 24 hours you should lightly sand the face with 180 grit paper. If you want to use a clear sticky bat facing, then one coat of oil is probably sufficient. Otherwise apply a second coat of Linseed Oil. Leave the bat in a horizontal position for at least 24 hours to dry. Do not over oil.
Knocking In.
Using a wooden mallet, “Knocking In” is the process of repeatedly striking a bat to compress the wood fibres. The key to this process, is to be aware of what how the wood reacts and to increase or decrease the strikes accordingly.
Knock In the bat face where you hit the ball in club cricket, and the bat edges. Do not strike the edges and the toe directly at right angles, as this will cause damage. The strikes with the mallet should be methodical and should slowly become stronger. The whole process will take about 6 hours. Once you have completed the Knocking In, use the bat in throw-downs with an old and worn ball. If the ball dents the bat face, then return to Knocking In. After this, use the bat in the nets against an old and worn ball. If the ball dents the bat face, return to Knocking In again.
Protective
Having completed the Knocking In process, your bat is ready for club cricket. You can choose to leave the face bare, or cover it with a clear sticky facing. You can also help protect the edges by using fibreglass tape along them. A rubber guard glued on the toe will also help.
Summary
With your bat oiled, knocked in, and perhaps protected by a sticky plastic facing, fibreglass tape on the edges and a rubber toe guard- it is as ready as it will ever be for club cricket. But don’t forget, the bat is still a piece of wood being struck by a solid and fast cricket ball. The wood will still show marks from the ball impact, and you still may get a screamer of a yorker that damages the bat toe, or a ball that hits you hard on an edge. Address this damage as you progress through the seasons.