IMPROVEMENTS RELATING TO THE HANDLES OF CRICKET BATS, TENNIS RACQUETS AND SIMILAR ARTICLES
Year: 1884

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
'I WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake, and Co Patent
Agents, Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex do hereby declare
the nature of my Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS RELATING TO THE HANDLES OF
CRICKET BATS, TENNIS RACQUETS AND SIMILAR ARTICLES" and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement:-
This Invention relates to bats, racquets; sticks and the like used in playing
games of ball, such as base-ball, cricket, tennis lacrosse and the like and by which
the ball is struck.
The said Invention consists in roughening the handle of a bat, racquet or similar
implement by the application of sand or the like granulated substance firmly
attached to the handle.
'
I am aware that handles of bats have been wound with string, and have also
been made of irregular outline in order that they may be more securely held by
the player, and such methods of covering or roughening the handle to aid the
grasp are not within the scope of my Invention.
The accompanying Drawings illustrate in Fig. 1., a tennis racquet, in Fig. 2., a
base-ball bat and in Fig. 3, a cricket bat, they being a few of, and illustrating the
class of, the implements to which my improvement is particularly adapted and in
these Drawings the letter a denotes the implements as a whole each having its
handle section b covered with a granulated hard material, as sand, attached to the
surface of the handle by means of glue, shellac or any equivalent cementing
substance.
The shellac, or other cementing material is preferably applied in a liquid state
by means of a brush, and the sand or other roughening material is then dusted on
to any desired extent while the cementing material is moist; but preferably only
Bo much of the sand or other granulated material is applied as can be firmly held
in place by the cementing material used.

page_text: The roughening material is preferably applied directly to the bat, but
may be
applied to a sheet of cloth, leather, paper or like flexible, material, and the latter
attached to the handle of the bat without departing from my Invention, but the
method of applying the granulated material directly to the handle of the
implements is the one I prefer in practice.
.
The bat or other implement as thus prepared can be firmly grasped in the hand
of the player with no danger of its slipping from his grasp, as so often occurs in
the use of the bats of the prior cut.
It is evident that the class of articles to which my improvement is adapted is
not limited to bats or implements in any single or particular game of ball, but that
the said improvement is applicable to a wide class and for such I desire to
claim it.
The roughening material may be sand or any other comparatively hard
substance, in a granulated form, and the substance, as shellac, by means of which
it is attached to the surface of the handle, is preferably of a water-proof nature.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is,
.
1. As an improved article of manufacture, a base-ball or cricket bat, or the like
implement, having its handle-section covered with sand or any similar granulated
material cemented thereto, all substantially as, described and for the purpose
set forth.
2. As an improved article of manufacture a ball playing implement a having the
surface of its handle section b roughened by a covering layer of granulated material
attached thereto by shellac or the like censenting material, all substantially as
described.
Dated this 20th day of June 1981