Chase Cricket Bats: Models, Grades and Prices

Chase cricket bats are hand-made English willow bats from a small workshop in Hampshire, and the range is one of the simplest to read in cricket. Every bat is a profile, which sets the shape, and a grade, which sets the willow and the price. There are four main profiles, A-10, F-16, Vortex and Volante, plus the top-grade FLC, and the grades run Select, Player, Elite and Pro Edition. This guide explains both, lists what we stock with our prices on 15 October 2026, and covers the juniors, the independent tests and how to choose.

How a Chase Bat Name Works

Take the Vortex Player. Vortex is the profile: the shape of the blade, where the weight sits and how the handle feels. Player is the grade: how good the willow looks, and so what the bat costs. Chase grade their willow on a scale of one to four, with grade 1 having the straightest grain, the most even colour and the fewest marks. The four main profiles all come in the same grades at the same prices, so within Chase you choose the shape first and then decide how much to spend on the wood.

The Grade Ladder

Senior short handle prices on 15 October 2026. Chase also make a Platinum Limited Edition from the top 1% of grade 1 and a Reserve grade from grade 4 willow; neither is in stock with us at the moment. The grade describes how the willow looks, not how well the bat plays. A Select bat has irregular grain and cosmetic marks, and Chase's own advice is that bats with many grains tend to perform well from new but may not last as long, while wider-grained willow takes longer to reach its best and tends to last longer. Our guide to grade one and grade two willow goes into the trade-off.

The Five Profiles

• A-10: new for 2025, and the one Chase call the Powerhouse. They describe it as a full profile with a generous sweet spot and a blade 12mm shorter than standard, which helps the pick-up.
• F-16: also new for 2025, a lighter build with the same 12mm shorter blade, which Chase pitch at control rather than sheer mass.
• Vortex: the most modern shape in the range, with a big profile, a blade 20mm shorter than standard and the only round handle in the Chase range.
• Volante: the traditional shape, with a mid to low hitting zone and little concaving at the back, made for a player who plays off both front and back foot.
• FLC: Chase's flagship, made only in the Pro Edition grade. It has a traditional profile, a mid to low sweet spot and the best willow Chase sell below the limited edition.

Every Chase bat has a semi-oval handle except the Vortex. Edge thickness varies bat by bat; every bat must stay within the 4cm edge limit in Law 5 of the MCC Laws, and the Chase bats The Cricketer has tested since 2023 measured 32mm to 38mm.

Chase Senior Bats in Stock

The FLC Pro Edition is £519.99. Weights in stock run from 2lb 7oz to 2lb 11oz, with most bats at 2lb 9oz to 2lb 11oz, and each listing shows the weights available. See them all in our Chase cricket bats collection.

Chase Junior Bats

Chase have the deepest junior range of the smaller English makers, and we hold fourteen Chase junior bats. All four main profiles come in junior sizes in three grades:

Prices step up at size 5. The FLC Pro Edition is also made in Harrow at £254.99, and an older R4 Finback junior is £89.99 in size 4 while stock lasts. Chase make nothing below size 3 in our range, so for a younger child see our guide to the best junior cricket bats, and use our cricket bat size guide to get the size right first.

Who Makes Chase Bats

Chase have made bats in Hampshire since 1996, at a workshop at Dummer, near Basingstoke. The former England batter Robin Smith sold the business in 2007 to Dan and Julie Swaine, and Dan Swaine has been the master bat maker since. In November 2025 the company was bought by Rory Waterer, whose family grows cricket bat willow in Berkshire, with the Swaines staying on to run it, as The Manufacturer reported in March 2026. A bat maker owned by its own willow grower is rare, and it matters at a time when good English willow is getting scarcer and dearer. Our comparison of Salix, CA, Chase and Newbery sets Chase beside the other smaller makers.

What Independent Tests Say

The Cricketer tests bats each year with student players. Its 2025 test of the A-10 Player found an even weight and an ample middle, and a handle a little chunkier than most, which the testers liked; it scored the bat slightly higher for performance than for build. The same review notes that Hampshire's Liam Dawson has used Chase bats with great success. Customer reviews of Chase praise the build quality and the repair service.

How to Choose a Chase Bat

1. Pick the profile for how you bat. A-10 or Vortex if you hit hard and want mass in the blade, F-16 if you want a lighter bat, Volante if you play a traditional game off both feet.
2. Pick the grade for your budget. The step from Select to Player is £60 with us; the step from Player to Elite is £120. For most club players Player is the sweet spot, because grade 2 willow plays as well as grade 1 and the difference is mostly in the look.
3. Check the weight and the pick-up. Lighter is not always better, but a bat you can lift quickly will serve you better than a heavier one with a bigger edge.
4. Knock it in. Every new English willow bat needs it. Our guide to knocking in a new cricket bat takes you through it.

FAQs: Chase Cricket Bats

Are Chase cricket bats good?
Yes. They are hand-made from English willow in Hampshire, they test well in independent reviews, and they are used in the professional game. Whether a particular bat suits you comes down to the profile and the pick-up.

Where are Chase cricket bats made?
By hand at Chase's workshop at Dummer, near Basingstoke in Hampshire.

Who owns Chase Cricket?
Rory Waterer, a willow grower, bought the company in November 2025. Dan Swaine remains master bat maker and managing director.

What is the difference between Chase Select, Player and Elite?
The willow grade. Select is grade 3, Player grade 2 and Elite grade 1, with the Pro Edition using the top 4% of grade 1. The shape is the same at every grade.

Which professional players use Chase bats?
Hampshire's Liam Dawson has used Chase bats, The Cricketer reported in 2025. Sponsorships change each season.

Do Chase bats need knocking in?
Yes, like any new English willow bat. Oil and knock in a new Chase bat before you use it against a hard ball.